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\      ,/  THE 

SPI&NDID  WAYFARING 

Thepory  of  the  exploits  and  adventures  of  Jedediah 

\Smkj2    and,  his  fomrades,  the  Ashley-Henry   men, 

discoverers  and  explorers  of  the  great  Central  Route 

from   the   Missouri   River    to    the    Pacific    Ocean 

I  M        '      1822—1831 


I 


JOHN  G.  NEIHARDT,  Litt.D. 

.uthor.of  "The  Song  of  Three  Friends,"  "The  Son 
j     u    ,.  of  Hugh  Glass,"  "The  Quest,"  etc. 


'i  I;  ■- ' 


3      -     '  '* 


iQeto  gotfe 

I  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1920 

;  AU  rightt  reserved 

t 

1 

^      J.    .  •-.  / 


>   ^\ 


I 


■irrio>*.£.sitv«  -    ^^*^ 

OoPYBiaHT.  1920,  * 

BT  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  October,  x9M>. 


•  :•••«     ••      •••         . 

.»««•    ♦•••      •••••• 

♦;,•.♦.•     •     •    • 


*  0 


TO 

MY  GOOD  COMRADE 

JULIUS  T.  HOUSE 


428844 


PREFACE 

The  student  of  American  History  in  our  schools 

is  givpn  ^\^J^Jyj^YUln\tY  to  hprnme  wf  11  acquainted 

with  the  early,  explorations  of  the  Great  North- 

west  and  the  Gxcat-^outhwesi^he  js  taught  little 

or  nothing  of  the  real  discoverer^  of  the  central 

route    from  the   Missouri   River   to   the    Pacific. 

jQ^cean^    This  is  due  to  the  fact  that,  until  very 

recently,  our  historians  have  been  concerned  too 

much  with  governmental  acts,  too  little  with  the 

activities  of  the  people  themselves.     The  official 

explorers  of  the  Northwest  and  the  Southwest 

were  actually  pioneers;  but  the  official  exploration 

of  the  _great  central  region  beyond  the  Ro'cHEs 

was  undertaken  twenty  years  after  the  actual  di^ 

toverefrahd  explorers  had  set  out  from  St.  Louis. 

I  i^onsidenng  the  lact  that  it  was  t)y^^ot_tIie 

I  central  route  „that  ±he  tide  of  naigrailpn'  flowed^ 

/    across  the  Rockies  and  possessed  the  Far  We^tT" 

I    it  would  seem  that  the  discovery  and  exploration 

of  that  route  might  now,  at  last,  be  given  some 

\    pifintjon  in  our  schools. 

^    '    In  the  following  pages  I  have  told  the  story  of 
that  body  of  adventurers  whoa^from    1822    to--^ 
i829f"opene3  the  wayTor  the  expansion  of  our 

■yii    »-— ■ —      ■— 


viii  Preface 

nation  beyond  the  Missouri.  I  have  made  Jcdc- 
^ah  Smith  tHe'Hritrat^gu re  of  my  story^Jorjof 
all  explorers  of  the  Great  West  he  was  in  many 
ways  the  most  remarkable,  though,  heretofore, 
our  school  children  have  not  even  heard  his  name. 
In  order  to  give  the  student  a  sense  of  the  con- 
tinuity of  history,  I  have  begun  my  narrative  with 
a  brief  account  of  the  moyement^rgsi  IBilSt^ 
ghenies  and  down  the  Ohio_River  after  the  Reiito* 
lutionary  War;  and  I  have  suggested  the  relation 
(^f  westward  expansion  in  America  to  the  whole 
4^ce  movement  from  the  beginning. 

The  general  mood  of  a  given  period  is  quite 
as  Important  a  part  of  history  as  are  the  bare 
facts.  Therefore,  by  way  of  giving  a  more  vivid 
picture  of  the  times,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to 
supply  minor  details  in  Chapters  I,  II,  IV,  V, 
VIII,  IX,  and  X;  but  in  every  case  I  have  done 
this  strictly  In  accordance  with  the  recorded  ex- 
periences of  contemporaries  in  similar  situations. 
Also,  as  a  matter  of  convenience  in  shaping  the 
narrative,  I  have  assumed  that  Smith  went  to  St. 
Louis  in  the  spring  of  1822.  There  are  good  rea- 
sons for  believing  that  this  may  be  correct,  though 
the  year  of  his  arrival  there  is  unknown.  In 
every  other  respect  the  narrative  faithfully  fol- 
lows the  chain  of  facts  as  found  in  the  authentic 
sources. 

Though  I  have  drawn  upon  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  sources,  as  will  be  seen  by  consulting  the 


4.  ^M^  '^ 


J 

a    V  ^  ; 
'■   i    5   1  Preface  ix 

bibliography  at  the  back  of  the  book,  I  am  espe- 
cially indebted  to  Prof.  Dale^s  admirable  work, 
"  The  Ashley-Smith  Explorations,"  which  not  only 
clears  up  some  important  points  in  the  history  of 
the  period,  but  presents  for  the  first  time  certain 
recently  discovered  documents  bearing  upon  the 
expeditions  of  William  H.  Ashley  and  Jedediah 
Strong  Smith.  I  must  also  acknowledge  the  fol- 
lowing debts :  to  Mr.  Doane  Robinson,  secretary 
of  the  Historical  Society  of  South  Dakota,  who, 
twelve  years  ago,  revealed  to  me  the  wonderful 
life-story  of  Jedediah  Smith,  and  who  has  been 
most  generous  in  furthering  my  work;  to  Miss 
^Stella  M.  Drumm,  librarian  of  the  Missouri  His- 
torical Society,  and  to  Mr.  William  E.  Connelley, 
secretary  of  the  State  Historical  Society  of  Kan- 
sas, who  have  kindly  furnished  me  with  copies  of 
source  material  placed  in  their  keeping;  to  Mr. 
Frederick  S.  Dellenbaugh  for  permission  to  use 
pictures  from  his  ''  Canyon  Voyage  " ;  and  to  Mr. 
Enos  A.  Mills,  Dr.  George  Wharton  James  and 
Prof.  S.  H.  Knight  for  photographs. 

John  G.  Neihardt. 
Bancroft,  Nebraska, 
December,  1919. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    Down  the  Ohio i 

II    At  St.  Louis 24 

III  Northbound  with  the  Robins  ...  35 

IV  The  Battle 48 

V    The  Express  to  Henry 61 

VI    The  Two  Parties  Unite     •     ...     75 
VII    The  Leavenworth  Campaign  ...     85 

iC^Iir^VESTWARD  BY  THE  GrAND        ....       98 

IX  Jed  Wrestles  with  Death  .     .     .     .116 

X  The  Ghost 127 

XI  The    First    White    Men    Through 

South  Pass 139 

XII  Treasure  and  Trouble  Therewith    .   147 

XIII  The  Return 159 

XIV  Ashley's  Long  Winter  Trail  .     .     .170 
XV  Down  Green  River 186 

XVI     The  Rendezvous 196 

XVII     Back  to  the  States 209 

XVIII    General  Ashley  Retires      ....  220 
XIX    The    First   Americans    Overland   to 

California 233 

XX     Smith's  Second  Journey      ....  257 

XXI     The  End  of  the  Trail 274 

List  of  Sources 288 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

A  Stampeding  Buffalo  Herd  ....       Frontispiece 

FAOINQ 
PAQK 

Map  of  Trans-Mississippi  Country i6 

A  Scene  on  Weber  River .'33 

Shoshone  Falls,  Snake  River 33 

Entrance  to  Flaming  Gorge  Canyon,  Green  River  .     48 

Long's   Peak 48 

Mouth  of  the  Sweetwater 65 

The  Mohave  Desert 80 

A  Scene  on  the  Virgin  River 80 

Louis  Vasquez 97 

Robert   Campbell 97 

Dr.  John  McLoughlin 97 

The  Great  Divide  Basin 112 

The  Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri  River  .  .  .  .112 
A  Four-column  Caravan  Bound  for  Santa  Fe  .  .129 
Fink  Shooting  the  Tincup  from  Carpenter's  Head  .    129 

San  Gabriel  Mission 144 

A  Scene  on  Snake  River 161 

Cordelling  a  Keelboat 176 


Illustratio'is 

VACINQ 
f  PAGE 

Jackson  Hole    .      .      .    '; 192 

Last  Page  of  the  Articles  of  Agreement  Whereby 
Ashley's  Interests  in  the  Mountains  were  Trans- 
ferred to  Smith,  Jackson  and  Sublette   .      .      .    207 

Last  Page  of  the  Rogers  Journal,  Written  at  the 
Camp  on  the  Umpqua  the  Day  Before  the  Mas- 
sacre in  which  the  Writer  was  Killed   .      .      .    225 

Letter  from  Hugh  Glass  Relative  to  the  Death  of 

Gardner 240 

Map  of  the  West  from  Carey's  Atlas,  Philadelphia, 

1818 256 


^/VY^  CA 

THE  SPLENDID  WAYFARING 

DOWN  THE   OHIO 

AN  early  April  dawn  was  whitening  over  the 
vast  forests  of  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  and  here 
and  there,  from  an  occasional  log  cabin  in  a  clear- 
ing, hearth-smoke  began  to  rise.  Out  of  the  dim 
wilderness  to  the  east  the  broid  Ohio  River,  now 
swollen  with  the  spring  floods,  came  swirling  down 
past  the  thriving  little  city  of  Cincinnati  set 
staunchly  on  a  sunward  slope.  Already  the  city 
had  awakened;  but  no  auto  horns  honked,  no  trol- 
ley gongs  clanged  in  the  streets,  and  no  whistle  of 
an  approaching  locomotive  disturbed  the  hush  of 
the  great  valley.  No  railroad  trains  would  ar- 
rive that  day,  nor  for  many  a  day  thereafter. 
Though  steamboats  were  now  no  longer  uncom- 
mon, yet  the  bulk  of  traffic  was  still  carried  on  in 
a  primitive  way.  This  proud  little  metropolis  of 
an  immense  teritory,  fabulously  rich  in  all  those 
material  things  that  contribute  to  the  happiness  of 
men,  knew  nothing  of  telephones  and  telegraphs, 
or  of  any  of  those  conveniences  without  which  an 
American  city  can  no  longer  be  conceived.     And 


■■■iC    .VI  1.1  U 

i\  i  i/i  '']\i''TM  &pkrt3ld  Wayfaring 

yet,  during  the  day  that  was  coming,  as  for  a  gen- 
eration past,  this  bustling  town  would  play  Its  role 
in  one  of  the  most  tremendous  adventures  that  our 
race  has  experienced. 

What  race  and  what  adventures? 

In  order  to  suggest  the  answer  to  this  ques- 
tion, let  us  begin  at  the  beginning,  far  back  In  the 
dim  centuries,  scanning  as  rapidly  as  possible  what 
is,  for  us  of  the  Western  World,  the  greatest  of 
all  stories.  Only  thus  can  we  sense  the  magnitude 
and  significance  of  what  we  are  about  to  witness; 
for  there  are  no  divisions  In  time,  and  history  is 
to  be  conceived,  not  as  a  succession  of  periods 
limited  by  dates  on  the  calendar,  but  rather  as 
one  continuous  process.  Well  then,  thousands  of 
years  ago  the  Aryan  or  Indo-European  Race, 
dwelling  in  the  valley  of  the  Euphrates,  was  seized 
with  the  wanderlust.  A  portion  of  this  people 
tui  .led  toward  India.  With  those  we  are  not  here 
concerned.  A  portion  turned  toward  the  setting 
sun,  and  so  began  a  journey  that  should  continue 
for  thousands  of  years  and  thousands  of  miles, 
to  reach  our  own  Pacific  Coast  during  the  19th 
century.  Those  westering  peoples  were  our  an- 
cestors; American  histv-^ry  properly  begins  with 
them;  and  we  today  are  the  rightful  heirs  of  all 
the  heroism  and  beauty  and  wisdom  that  have  been 
developed  in  their  age-long  pilgrimage.  We  are 
what  we  are  because  of  what  they  experienced. 

Now  as  those  ancestors  of  ours  pressed  west- 


V.I      '  -^ 

J. 

Down  the  Ohio  3 

ward,  they  underwent  many  changes,  owing  to 
varying  physical  environment,  to  contact  with 
other  peoples,  and  to  that  evolution  of  ideas  which 
is  the  natural  result  of  experience  in  meeting  the 
difficulties  of  life.  As  we  follow  them  in  their 
westward  migration,  we  know  them  under  the 
guise  of  many  nationalities,  speaking  as  many  dif- 
ferent tongues,  yet  the  main  line  of  descent  runs 
clear.  We  might  liken  the  ancient  Aryan  spirit  to 
a  prairie  fire  driven  by  an  east  wind  out  of  Mes- 
opotamia and  destined  to  burn  across  a  world. 
Now  it  flared  up  in  Persia,  and  the  gloom  of  the 
Past  is  still  painted  with  that  flare.  Now  it  was 
a  white  radiance  in  Greece,  the  clear  illumina- 
tion of  which  still  guides  the  feet  of  men.  Now 
it  burned  ruddily  in  Rome,  spread  around  the 
Mediterranean,  and  became  as  a  golden  noonday 
to  all  the  known  world.  Then  it  drove  northward 
and  lit  Europe  with  a  succession  of  illuminations. 
Now  its  glowing  center  was  in  the  Empire  of 
Charlemagne,  now  in  Spain  under  the  great  Philip, 
now  in  France  under  the  Grand  Monarch,  now  in 
England  under  Elizabeth.  Though  whipped  by 
cross-winds  and  freakish  gusts,  changing  ever  by 
that  upon  which  it  fed,  yet  it  was  ever  the  same 
flame,  ever  yearning  westward  —  in  its  rear  the 
ashes  of  fallen  empires,  in  its  van  the  rising, and 
falling  light  of  what  was  yet  to  be.  At  last,  borne 
as  a  torch  by  the  discoverers  and  explorers  of  the 
Western  Hemisphere,  that  flame  was  rekindled  in 


4  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

our  own  Colonial  history.  Up  the  Mississippi 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  came  the  Spaniards. 
Up  ^he  St.  Lawrence  forged  the  French.  West- 
ward across  the  Alleghenles  and  down  the  Ohio 
went  the  English  and  the  Germans  and  the  Dutch 
and  the  Irish.  And  all  these  scions  of  an  ancient 
race  were  to  meet  and  mingle  in  the  great  central 
valley,  pushing  on  and  on  by  river  route  and 
prairie  trail  and  mountain  pass  to  the  waters  of  the 
Pacific.  Here  in  the  western  continent  the  wan- 
derings of  the  widely  dispersed  peoples  should  end 
at  last,  and  they  were  destined  to  become  again 
one  people. 

Thus  it  was  that,  on  that  April  morning  In 
1822,  the  frontier  city  of  Cincinnati  was  sharing 
In  a  great  adventure  —  no  less  an  adventure  than 
the  conquest  of  a  continent.  For  a  generation 
past,  yonder  river  had  been  more  than  a  stream 
of  water.  It  had  become  a  veritable  stream  of 
men,  urged  westward  by  the  home-hunger  and  the 
lure  of  wealth  —  impulses  no  less  elemental  than 
that  which  now  flung  the  spring-floods  seaward. 

That  morning  at  the  city's  water-front  a  clutter 
of  boats,  moored  along  the  wagon-rutted  landing, 
made  clear  in  what  manner  the  stream  of  men 
would  flow  that  day.  And  what  a  variety  of  wa- 
ter craft!  There  lay  an  ungainly  side-wheeled 
steamboat,  already  belching  smoke.  Nearby 
was  a  stately  barge,  as  big  as  an  Atlantic 
schooner  of  those  days,  requiring  at  least  twenty- 


Down  the  Ohio  5 

five  men  to  work  it  up-stream.  Yonder  was  a 
keelboat,  long,  slender,  gracefully  shaped,  capa- 
ble of  bearing  thirty  tons  of  freight  and  formed 
in  such  a  way  that  it  might  easily  be  poled,  towed 
by  the  cordelle,  or  driven  under  sail,  when  the 
wind  was  favorable,  over  the  shallow  waters  of 
the  summer  season.  Here,  again,  was  a  Ken- 
tucky flatboat,  commonly  known  as  a  "  broad- 
horn.  '  About  fifteen  feet  wide  and  seventy-five 
feet  long,  it  would  carry  at  least  sixty  tons.  It 
was  like  an  ark  adventuring  toward  some  Ararat 
in  the  country  of  the  sunset,  for  it  bore  a  whole 
family  with  all  its  worldly  goods  —  geese,  chick- 
ens, horses,  cows,  sheep,  pigs!  And  there  were 
Allegheny  skiffs,  carrying  from  eight  to  twelve 
tons;  pirogues,  hollowed  out  of  enormous  trees; 
common  skiffs,  dugouts,  and  various  nondescript 
boats  displaying  a  whimsical  combination  of  well 
known  varieties. 

Now  there  is  a  bustling,  and  a  babble  of  voices, 
along  the  landing  and  among  the  cluttered  craft. 
Neighborly  messages  are  flung  from  deck  to  deck 
—  pioneers  of  Kentucky  hailing  pioneers  of  the 
Mohawk  Valley;  Virginians  and  Pennsylvanians 
discussing  hopes  with  adventurers  from  the 
Maumee  or  Sandusky  Bay  or  Green  River;  trad- 
ers with  Yankee  notions,  tinware,  pork,  flour, 
hemp,  tobacco,  agricultural  implements  and  Mon- 
ongahela  whisky  for  sale,  question  each  other  as 
to  their  cargoes  and  destinations  among  the  Span- 


6  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

ish  and  French  settlements  of  the  Mississippi. 
And  how  oddly  clad  these  people  are!  Every 
member  of  yonder  family  on  the  Kentucky  broad- 
horn  is  dressed  In  llnsey,  and  It  is  a  safe  guess 
that  the  mother,  aided,  perhaps,  by  the  eldest 
daughter,  has  scutched,  heckled  and  spun  the  flax, 
carded  and  spun  the  wool,  woven  and  dyed  the 
cloth  from  which  these  garments  were  made. 
Many  of  the  men  wear  the  hunting  shirt,  a  large- 
sleeved  loose  frock  reaching  half  way  between  hip 
and  knee,  open  in  front  and  wide  enough  to  lap 
over  a  foot  or  more  when  closed  with  the  belt  that 
is  tied  in  the  back.  A  large  cape,  fringed,  per- 
haps, with  ravelled  cloth  of  a  gaudy  color,  falls 
across  the  shoulders.  Some  of  these  shirts  are 
made  of  llnsey,  some  of  linen,  some  of  dressed 
deer  skin.  Breeches  of  buckskin,  fringed  at  the 
side  seams,  are  common;  and  there  are  more  moc- 
casins among  these  adventurers  than  shoes. 

The  women,  some  of  whom,  no  doubt,  are  des- 
tined to  become  the  great  grandmothers  of  some 
of  the  proudest  families  of  the  West,  have  set  off 
their  rude  homespun  garments  with  no  more  con- 
spicuous adornment  than  a  small  hand-woven 
handkerchief  tied  about  the  neck.  Some  are  now 
going  barefoot,  some  wear  moccasins,  some  the 
coarsest  of  shoes.  Few  are  the  "  store  clothes  '' 
to  be  noted  among  these  people;  and  indeed,  many 
of  them,  reared  in  the  backwoods,  had  perhaps 
never  seen  a  store  until  they  came  to  stare  at  the 


Down  the  Ohio  7 

"  sights  "  in  Cincinnati,  a  huge  metropolis  to  them. 

Suddenly  above  the  babble  a  boat  horn  strikes 
up  a  merry  lilt.  Others  join  in;  and,  far  away, 
like  spirit  bugles  out  of  the  dim  past  of  the  race, 
still  sounding  the  westward  advance,  the  echoes 
sing  on  among  the  wooded  hills.  With  a  roar 
from  her  whistle  the  steamboat  backs  out,  swings 
round,  and,  thrusting  her  stubborn  nose  into  the 
swirl,  pushes  on  toward  Pittsburgh,  snoring  like  an 
asthmatic  sleeper.  The  cumbrous  barge,  poled 
by  a  dozen  brawny  men,  moves  slowly  outward, 
feels  the  clutch  of  the  current,  and  sweeps  away. 
The  ark-like  broadhorn  follows,  while,  startled  by 
the  shouting  of  the  men  and  the  blaring  of  the 
horns,  the  geese  and  chickens  and  sheep  and  cows 
and  pigs  and  horses  add  each  their  own  peculiar 
cries  to  the  general  din.  And,  indeed,  why  should 
they  not  be  heard?  Have  they  not  shared  as 
comrades  in  the  age-long  adventure  of  the  race? 

Skiffs,  pirogues  and  dugouts  are  putting  off. 
The  keelboat's  line  is  taken  in;  the  patron,  as  the 
helmsman  is  called,  is  at  the  wheel ;  the  crew  makes 
ready  to  push  off  and  join  the  flotilla,  now  swirl- 
ing rapidly  down  the  stream.  The  last  passenger 
is  going  aboard  —  a  slender,  dark-haired  young 
man  c/  ../^jic  Ej'ght,  with  an  erect,  alert  bearing 
and  a  keenness  of  the  eye  that  betokens  resolution 
and  intelligence.  He  must  be  well  under  twenty- 
five  years  of  age.  His  clothes  are  of  homespun 
and  he  carries  upon  his  back  a  "  plunder  bag  " 


8  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

doubtless  containing  all  his  worldly  wealth.  Let 
us  follow  him;  for  though  yonder  French  boat- 
man with  his  scarlet  sash  seems  by  far  the  more 
important  person  of  the  two,  this  young  fellow, 
with  the  bag  at  his  back,  is  fated  to  become  one 
of  the  great  torch-bearers  of  the  race;  and  within 
nine  years  he  shall  have  pushed  far  in  advance 
of  the  oncoming  human  tide,  discovered  a  main 
route  of  travel  through  the  Western  wilderness 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  encountered  many  perils,  and 
died  the  death  of  a  hero,  leaving  as  a  legacy  to 
his  countrymen  the  memory  of  his  years,  as  rich 
as  they  were  few. 

Now  the  keelboat  was  in  midstream,  and  soon 
the  town  was  lost  to  view  around  a  bend.  Sit- 
ting on  his  "  plunder  bag  "  on  the  forward  deck, 
the  young  man  gazed  dreamily  at  the  two  green 
worlds  that  flowed  by  him  —  a  vision  of  universal 
fruitfulness.  The  magnificent  beeches  and  syca- 
mores and  cottonwoods  along  the  shore  were  in 
full  leaf.  Red  birds  flickered  with  mellow  whis- 
tlings in  and  out  among  the  dense  foliage.  Now 
and  then  a  flock  of  paroquets  shocked  some  green 
silence  with  eruptions  of  color  and  noise.  Col- 
umns of  smoke  arose  from  occasional  cabins  in 
some  hidden  clearing  beyond  the  dense  wood  that 
fringed  the  river.  Ax-strokes,  begetting  multi- 
tudes of  echoes,  told  where  some  lusty  backwoods- 
man was  contributing  his  share  of  labor  to  the 
making  of  a  new  world.     Dogs  barked  far  away, 


Down  the  Ohio  9 

and   echo    dogs    answered   in    the   golden   hush. 

During  the  morning  they  had  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Miami  on  their  right,  and  shortly 
afterward,  the  village  of  Lawrenceburg.  Now 
and  then  a  bend  in  the  river  revealed  a  patch  of 
cleared  ground  wherein  a  barefooted  plowman 
drove  his  team  of  oxen  among  the  stumps;  and 
then  there  arose  a  running  fire  of  question  and 
answer  between  the  boats  and  the  shore.  The 
colloquy  might  run  somewhat  as  follows : 

"Hello,  the  boat!" 

*'  Hello,  the  plow !  Have  you  any  potatoes  to 
sell  the  boat?" 

"  None.  Have  you  any  whisky  aboard  the 
boat?" 

"  Plenty." 

"  Well,  I'll  trade  potatoes  for  whisky." 

"  What  do  you  ask  for  your  potatoes?  " 

"  A  dollar  a  bushel." 

"  Too  much." 

"  Well,  I  will  let  you  have  a  bushel  of  potatoes 
for  a  gallon  of  whisky." 

The  boats  move  on. 

"A  half  gallon!" 

The  voice  grows  dimmer  with  increasing  dis- 
tance. '^- 

"A  quart!" 

Or  perhaps  the  conversation  between  boatmen 
and  settler  might  call  forth  what  passed  for  Yan- 
kee wit,  as  for  instance : 


lo  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Curious  settler:     "Where  you  from?" 

Facetious  boatman:     "Redstone.'* 

"What's  your  lading?" 

"  Millstones." 

"  What's  the  captain's  name?  " 

"  Whetstone." 

"  Where  you  bound?  " 

"  Limestone."  ^ 

Sometimes,  it  is  said,  such  dialogs  between  land 
and  water  developed  into  an  exchange  of  black- 
guardly epithets,  ending,  as  like  as  not,  in  the 
landing  of  the  boatman  and  a  brisk  fight  on  shore. 
Nor  should  this  greatly  surprise  us;  for  always  at 
the  lip  of  the  advancing  human  flood  the  brawling 
and  turbulent  spirits  are  sure  to  be  found;  and 
indeed  the  race  owes  much  to  its  wild  and  reck- 
less types,  for  from  their  number  have  been  re- 
cruited the  rank  and  file  of  many  a  daring  expedi- 
tion into  the  wilderness,  to  the  end  that  the  way 
might  be  made  clear  for  the  home-makers.  The 
race  advances  through  its  exceptions;  that  is  to 
say,  through  those  who  refuse  to  think  or  act  in 
accordance  with  established  custom.  Those, 
whose  departures  from  what  has  been  accepted  as 
right  prove  at  last  to  be  advantageous  to  the 
race,  become  the  great  men  and  are  justly  hon- 
ored. The  others  are  overcome  and  forgotten. 
At  one  end  of  this  scale  of  human  exceptions  we 
find  the  saint  and  seer;   at  the  other  end,   the 

1  Flint.     "  Recollections  of  the  Past  Ten  Years." 


Down  the  Ohio  ii 

criminal.  Many  of  those  turbulent  spirits  that 
were  of  the  greatest  value  in  the  pioneering  age 
would,  if  confined  to  the  uncongenial  environment 
of  a  modern  industrial  city,  end  their  days  in  a 
penitentiary. 

The  sun  rose  high  above  the  drifting  flock  of 
boats  and  began  the  long  descent  of  afternoon. 
Still  the  young  man  sat  upon  his  "  plunder  bag  " 
or  paced  about  the  keelboat's  deck,  dreamily 
watching  the  rich  bottom  lands  and  rolling  hills 
drift  past.  No  wonder  that  he  had  little  heart 
for  entering  into  the  gay  spirit  of  his  fellow  travel- 
lers. He  was  leaving  home,  and  there -was»some-~" 
thing  inexorable  about  the  swift  and  silent  current 
that  bore  him  farther  and  farther  into  a  world 
unknown  to  him.  And  yet,  there  musfTiave  been 
a  thrill  in  it  all;  for  he  had  dreamed  a  daring 
dream  of  what  a  resolute  young  man  might  jjo 
in  those  vast,  mysterious  white  spaces  that  then 
made  up  the  greater  portion  of  the  map  of  the 
Trans-Missouri  country.-  Doubtless,  rivers  and 
mountains  and  lakes  had  been  waiting  yonder  for 
unknown  ages  for  a  white  man  to  discover  and 
name  them !  Might  he  not  prove  to  be  that  white 
man?  And  beyond  those  vast  white  spaces  lay 
the  Pacific  Ocean  and  the  country  of  the  Span- 
i^^<^s !  ,— — <^ 

Seventeen  years  before,  Lewis  and  Clark  ha^d 
pushed  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri,  across 
the  mountains  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Columbia, 


/ 


12  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

and  down  that  river  to  the  sea.  But  what  of  the 
way  through  the  great  country  to  the  south? 
^^^ Wiioshould  find  and  plot  it? 

The  setting  sun  glowed  across  the  broad  flood 
ahead,  and  the  full  moon  rose  huge  and  red 
through  the  mists  of  the  valley  in  the  rear.  It 
would  be  a  white  night;  the  high  water  made  the 
river  safe,  and  so  the  boats  floated  on  into  the 
deepening  moony  haze.  Suppers  were  cooked 
and  eaten.  Then  a  squeaking  fiddle  struck  up  a 
familiar  backwoods  tune  on  board  the  Kentucky 
broadhorn.  Soon  a  dance  was  in  full  swing  there, 
and  the  young  men  and  women  from  the  other 
boats  were  putting  off  in  skiffs  to  join  the  merry- 
making. Now  and  then  bursts  of  song  and  shouts 
of  laughter  drowned  out  the  clatter  of  heels  and 
the  shrill  ecstasies  of  the  racing  fiddle. 

But  the  young  man,  whom  we  have  been  noting, 
showed  no  inclination  to  join  the  merrymakers. 
He  had  been  reading  a  book  by  the  lingering  twi- 
light, until  the  dusk  had  blotted  out  the  dog- 
eared pages.  Then  he  had  begun  pacing  up  and 
down  the  deck,  his  head  bowed,  his  hands  clasped 
behind  him;  and,  seen  thus  in  the  moonlight,  he 
seemed  more  like  an  old  man  brooding  upon  the 
dead  years,  than  a  youth  whose  blood  pulsed 
strongly  with  the  lust  of  high  adventure.  By  and 
by  the  patron  at  the  helm,  a  sturdy  old  graybeard 
from  the  Monongahela,  hailed  him: 


Down  the  Ohio  13 

"  What  book,  young  man?  One  of  them  love 
yarns,  Fll  warrant!  " 

"  I  was  reading  the  Great  Book,  sir.'* 

"Eh?  —  The  Scriptures?  A  great  book,  in- 
deed; and  them  as  be  kicking  their  heels  In  the 
devil's  wind  yonder  might  better  be  reading  of  It. 
Where  bound?" 

"  To  St.  Louis." 

"  What  you  calc'latc  doing  yonder?  " 

"  I  shall  enter  the  fur  trade." 

"Aye,  and  go  far,  I'll  warrant;  for  I  see  you 
be  one  of  them  as  knows  where  they're  going, 
keeps  a  tight  lip  and  goes  there  by  the  grace  of 
God!  That  breed  goes  far.  Most  ain't  rightly 
sure  where  they  be  bound  and  never  gets  there  — 
like  me.  My  beard's  gray  and  I  be  n't  there  yet, 
and  so  I  know.  Who  be  you,  where  you  from, 
and  who's  your  folks?  " 

Now  even  to  the  most  taciturn  and  self-con- 
tained young  man  who  is  leaving  home,  that  is 
likely  to  be  a  stimulating  question,  and  the  old 
patron  got  his  answer.  Our  young  hero's  name 
was  J^dp^iah  Strong  Smifh^_  His  father,  Jede- 
diah  Smith,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  had 
pushed  westward  into  the  Mohawk  Valley  with 
the  first  wave  of  emigration  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  had  settled  in  Chenango 
County,  New  York.  There  in  the  village  of  Baln- 
brid^e,  on  June  24th,  1798.  our  hero  was  born. 


14  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

But  in  spite  of  his  large  and  growing  family,  the 
elder  Smith  had  not  long  remained  there,  for  the 
wanderlust  of  the  race  had  been  strong  in  him, 
and  the  lure  of  the  sunset,  that  was  to  lead  his 
son  across  the  plains  and  mountains  and  deserts 
even  to  the  waters  of  the  Pacific,  had  led  the 
father  still  farther  to  the  west.  For  a  few  years 
the  family  had  lived  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  now  settled  in  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  with  little 
prospect  of  moving  any  farther,  for  the  children 
at  home  now  numbered  a  baker's  dozen. 

Though  the  chances  for  education  in  the  coun- 
try of  his  childhood  were  slight  in  those  days, 
Jed  had  been  fortunate  in  making  friends  with  a 
physician,  Dr.  Simons,  who  had  given  him  the 
**  rudiments  of  an  English  education  and  a  smat- 
tering of  Latin,"  together  with  a  love  for  the 
Scriptures  and  the  fear  of  God.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen,  Jed  had  begun  to  shift  for  himself,  hav- 
ing secured  a  job  a-;  clerk  on  one  of  the  freight 
boats  of  the  Great  Lakes.^  Thus  at  an  impres- 
sionable age  he  had  come  In  close  contact  with 
the  traders  and  trappers  of  the  British  fur  com- 
panies; and  the  many  stirring  tales  he  had  heard 
from  those  adventurers  had  determined  the  course 
of  his  life.  He  too  would  brave  the  dangers  of 
the  wilderness!  So  now  he  was  going  to  St. 
Louis,  the  great  emporium  of  the  American  fur 
trade. 

iDale.    "The   Ashley-Smith   Explorations." 


Down  the  Ohio  15 

The  moon  rose  high,  and  still  the  old  patron 
and  the  young  adventurer  talked  of  the  Western 
Country,  of  St.  Louis  and  of  the  bright  prospects 
that  the  fur  trade  then  offered  to  enterprising 
young  men.  At  midnight  the  old  man's  watch 
ended,  and  another  took  the  helm.  Rolling  them- 
selves In  their  blankets,  the  graybeard  and  the 
youth  lay  down  upon  the  forward  deck  to  sleep. 
By  and  by  the  sound  of  merrymaking  on  the 
broadhorn  trailed  away  Into  a  great  silence;  and 
all  night  long  the  shadowy  helmsmen,  guiding  the 
black  hulks  through  mysterious  immensity, 
*'  sailed  astonished  amid  stars." 

Boat  horns  called  to  the  sleepers  as  the  fleet 
drifted  slowly  out  of  the  fading  shadow  Into  a 
new  day.  Once  again  neighborly  voices  were 
heard  crying  from  deck  to  deck.  The  fleet*was 
now  drifting  southwestwardly  with  the  Indiana 
shore  to  starboard.  Close  on  noon  it  passed  the 
Kentuijcy  Ri^er  flowing  bankfull  out  of  the  prime- 
val forest  to  the  southeast.  Here  a  rude  flat- 
boat,  that  had  been  moored  among  the  willows 
near  the  junction  of  the  streams,  put  off  and 
floated  in  among  the  other  boats.  It  bore  a  large 
family  with  all  Its  household  goods,  bound  for 
the  Wabash  country  —  a  fact  which  did  not  long 
remain  a  secret,  for  the  meeting  of  pioneers  in- 
volved no  ceremony,  and  the  father,  who,  with 
the  aid  of  a  lank,  overgrown,  frowsy-headed  boy, 
guided  his  drifting  home  with  a  long  sweep-oar  at 


1 6  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  stern,  was  at  once  subjected  to  a  running  fire 
of  questions. 

The  course  of  the  river  shifted  to  the  north- 
west, then  to  the  west,  then  to  the  south.  Dusk 
came,  the  moon  rose.  All  afternoon  there  had 
been  much  talk  of  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  now  some 
^^forty  miles  ahead,  over  which  the  fleet  must  pass. 
Those  who  were  travelling  that  way  for  the  first 
time  naturally  looked  forward  with  dread  to  the 
fancied  dangers  of  the  passage,  though  the  old- 
timers  assured  them  that  in  high  water  there  was 
nothing  to  fear.  Nevertheless,  in  the  wee  hours 
of  the  morning,  the  boats  put  in  to  shore,  there 
to  await  the  dawn,  that  the  falls  might  be  passed 
in  daylight. 

It  was  mid-forenoon  when  the  lookout  on  the 
leading  boat,  then  drifting  near  Louisville  in 
waters  as  smooth  as  a  lake,  heard  a  deep  roaring 
ahead.  A  cry  of  warning  arose  and  spread  over 
the  fleet,  dying  out  suddenly  as  the  first  boat 
rocked  to  the  clutching  swirl,  leaped  into  a  stretch 
of  wildly  agitated  waters  and  shot  out  into  the 
glassy  quiet  below.  It  was  all  over  in  a  few  min- 
utes; but  when  the  boats  once  more  drifted  in 
the  dozing  calm,  the  laughter  of  relaxing  dread 
and  the  pointless  jests  that  were  bandied  from 

/       deck  to  deck  told  how  tense  those  minutes  had 

/       been. 

""^"^--v^here   was  now  no   obstacle   to   fear  In   the 
wnole  course  of  the  Ohio;  and,  favored  by  the 


Down  the  Ohio  17 

moon,  the  fleet  continued  to  drift  by  night  as 
well  as  by  day,  save  when  an  occasional  rainstorm^ 
darkened  the  sky.  Now  and  then  a  stop  was 
made  at  some  settlement  for  the  purpose  of  trad- 
ing for  supplies  and  getting  acquainted.  Some  of 
the  craft  dropped  out  of  the  fleet  at  various  points 
and  others  took  their  places.  One  day  and  night 
below  the  falls,  they  passed  Blue  River  on  their 
right.  In  three  more  days  they  saw  Green  River 
coming  in  out  of  Kentucky.  Another  day  and 
night  brought  them  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash; 
and  at  noon  of  the  following  day  they  landed  at 
Shawnee  Town  —  an  unpleasant  looking  little  vil- 
lage, set  upon  low  ground  and  now  struggling  with 
the  flood  waters.  In  spite  of  its  appearance,  how- 
ever, it  was  then,  and  had  been  for  years,  a  place 
of  some  importance,  owing  to  the  salt  deposits 
nearby,  which  furnished  its  chief  article  of  com- 
merce, and  to  the  fact  that  it  had  become  an  out- 
fitting point  for  the  Mississippi  trade. 

Here  the  keelboat  which  bore  our  hero  took 
on  nine  French  boatmen  to  aid  in  the  diflicult  task 
of  poling  and  cordelling  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio  to  St.  Louis. 

Now  the  river  broadened;  the  blufi^s  began  to 
fall  away;  cultivated  patches  became  less  frequent; 
dismal  stretches  of  swamp  land,  haunted  by  water 
fowl,  were  more  and  more  common.  To  right 
and  left  the  lofty  forests  stretched  away  with  a 
regular  surface  like  a  vast  green  roof  supported 


1 8  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

by  huge  living  columns  rising  out  of  the  water. 
At  rare  intervals  the  solitary  cabin  of  a  wood 
cutter,  set  on  piles  or  blocks  to  raise  it  above  the 
inundation,  served  by  contrast  to  make  the  scene 
more  dismal.  A  day  and  night  from  Shawnee 
Town  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland  was  passed; 
and  a  half  day  later,  the  Tennessee.  The  next 
sunrise  found  them  moored  at  the  junction  of  the 
^-^o  great  rivers. 

^X"  Yonder  magnificent  stream  was  the  Mississippi ;  ^ 
/^  and  young  Smith,  gazing  upon  it  for  the  first  time, 
[  doubtless  felt  something  of  awe  and  the  sense  of 
I  losing  a  friendly  world  made  dear  with  old  asso- 
ciations, that  the  ancient  Phoenician  mariners 
must  have  experienced  at  the  Pillars  of  Hercules. 
"^  Here  at  the  delta  speculators  had  once  dreamed 
of  founding  a  great  commercial  city,  and  a  few 
houses  had  been  raised  on  piles.  But  the  dream 
had  failed,  and  now  the  town  was  kept  on  a  huge 
flatboat  a  hundred  feet  long,  in  which  there  were 
stores,  liquor  shops,  gambling  dens,  and  a  motley 
population  of  miserable  men  and  women  —  a  trap 
of  vice  for  the  unwary.  Here  was  the  central 
point  of  the  most  extensive  net  ^'  of  navigable 
rivers  on  the  globe;  a  natural  s>.v^m  of  trans- 
portation that  has  not  even  now,  at  the  end  of  the 
second  decade  of  the  twentieth  century,  been  fully 
utiHzed  to  the  advantage  of  mankind.  Keelboats 
and  flat-bottomed  mackinaws,  starting  at  this 
point,   could  ascend   to   the   headwaters   of   the 


.     penet 


Down  the  Ohio  19 

Mississippi ;  to  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  in 
sight  of  the  Rocky  Mountains;  to  Pompey's  Pil- 
lar on  the  Yellowstone;  to  the  State  of  New 
York  by  way  of  the  Ohio  River;  up  the  Illinois 
and  down  the  Chicago  to  the  Great  Lakes;  up 
the  Wabash  and  the  Tennessee  into  the  heart  of 
the  great  forests;  or,  descending  to  the  Red  River 
of  the  South  or  the  Arkansas,  it  was  possible  to 
penetrate  the  great  prairie  wilderness  of  the 
Southwest  even  to  the  Spanish  country. 

ready  the  traffic  that  passed  this  point  was 
immense,  considering  the  undeveloped  condition 
of  the  country.  A  short  distance  to  the  south, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Bayou,  was  the  port  of  New 
Madrid;  and  there  in  a  single  spring  day  as  many 
as  a  hundred  boats  had  landed,  laden  with  planks 
from  the  pine  forests  of  southwestern  New  York; 
Yankee  notions,  corn  in  the  ear,  apples  and  po- 
tatoes from  Ohio;  pork,  flour,  whisky,  hemp,  to- 
bacco, bagging  and  bale  rope  from  Kentucky; 
cotton  from  Tennessee;  cattle  and  horses  from 
Missouri  and  Illinois.  Sometimes  a  number  of 
these  craft  would  be  lashed  together,  thus  forming 
a  floating  town4*veral  acres  in  extent;  and  brisk 
was  the  trade  Snd  merry  the  festivities  that  were 
carried  on  in  such  drifting  communities. 

Now  began  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  voyage 
to  St.  Louis  —  a  stretch  of  approximately  two 
hundred  miles  against  the  full  spring  flood.  The 
cordelle,  or  tow-line,  swung  from  the  masthead 


20  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

of  the  keelboat,  was  flung  ashore,  and  a  dozen 
boatmen,  toiling  tandem  with  the  line  across  their 
shoulders,  began  the  lofjg-pull  northward,  while 
the  helmsman  at  the  stern  and  a  polesman  at  the 
bow  kept  the  craft  well  out  in  the  stream.  Tim- 
othy Flint,  an  early  traveller  by  keelboat  up  this 
difficult  stretch,  has  left  us  the  following  general 
remarks  regarding  the  labors  and  dangers  attend- 
ant upon  such  a  voyage  in  those  days :  "  Owing 
to  the  character  of  the  river  and  the  numberless 
;  impediments  in  it  and  on  its  banks,  the  cordelle  is 
i  continually  entangling  among  the  snags  and  saw- 
;  yers  between  the  boat  and  the  shore,  and  has 
'\  often  to  be  thrown  over  small  trees  and  carried 
around  larger  ones.  Sometimes  you  are  impeded 
by  masses  of  trees  that  have  lodged  against  saw- 
yers. At  other  times  you  find  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  shore,  including  a  surface  of  acres, 
that  has  fallen  into  the  river  with  all  its  trees 
upon  it.  Just  at  the  edge  of  these  trees  the  cur- 
rent is  so  heavy  as  to  be  almost  impassable.  It 
is  beside  the  question  to  think  of  forcing  the  boat 
up  against  the  main  current  anywhere,  except  with 
an  uncommon  number  of  hands.  Therefore,  any 
impediment  near  the  shore  must  either  be  sur- 
mounted or  the  river  crossed  to  avoid  it.  It 
often  happens  that  the  boat,  with  no  small  labor, 
and  falling  down  stream  with  the  strength  of  the 
current,  crosses  to  avoid  such  difficulties  and  finds 
^qual  ones  on  the  opposite  shore.     Sometimes  you 


Down  the  Ohio  21 

\ 
are  obliged  to  make  your  way  among  the  trunks 

of  the  trees,  the  water  boiling  round  your  boat 
like  a  mill  race.  Then  If  the  boat  swings,  you  are 
Instantly  carried  back  and  perhaps  strike  the  snags 
below  you,  and  your  boat  Is  staved.  I  do  not  re- 
member to  have  traversed  this  river  in  any  con- 
siderable trip,  without  having  heard  of  some  fatal 
disaster  to  a  boat,  or  having  seen  the  dead  body 
of  some  boatman,  recognized  by  the  red  flannel 
shirt  which  they  generally  wear.  The  numbers  of 
carcasses  of  boats,  lying  at  the  points  or  thrown 
up  high  and  dry  on  the  wreck  heaps,  demonstrate 
how  many  are  lost  on  this  wild  and,  as  the  boat- 
men call  It,  wicked  river."  ^  "'"     ^ — 

All  day  long,  under  such  dlflUculties,  with  brief 
but  frequent  breathing  spells,  the  crew  fought  Its 
way  up  stream;  and  always  the  hardest  task  was 
met  with  song,  for  the  French  boatmen  were  fa- 
mous singers,  peculiarly  gifted  with  the  genius 
for  llght-heartedness.  Often  It  became  necessary 
for  all,  save  the  helmsman,  to  take  a  hand  In  the 
tense  struggle  with  the  sinewy  current;  and  during 
the  fifteen  days  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  to 
St.  Louis,  young  Smith  learned  much  of  up-stream 
travel  that  was  soon  to  stand  him  In  good  stead. 

But  however  arduous  the  long  days  might  be, 
the  evenings  were  a  delight.  For  then,  with  a 
campfire  roaring  under  some  spreading  tree,  the 
boatmen  would  vie  with  each  other  in  recounting 

1  "  Recollections  of  the  Past  Ten  Years." 


22  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  adventures  that  had  befallen  them.  Some  had 
been  In  the  Upper  Missouri  River  country,  three 
thousand  miles  away,  and  had  heard  the  Great 
Falls  singing  thunderously  to  the  empty  spaces. 
Others  had  penetrated  the  forest  wilderness  above 
the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  Still  others  had  reached 
the  Spanish  country  by  way  of  the  Red  River  or 
the  Arkansas.  One  had  been  to  Santa  Fe  and 
"  high-walled  ''  Taos,  and  he  remembered  weird 
tales  of  deserted  prehistoric  cities  in  the  moun- 
tain fastnesses  beyond  the  Spanish  Peaks.  An- 
other had  been  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Yellow- 
stone and  seen  Colter's  Hell  —  a  vast  patch  of 
earth  where  the  good  God  was  still  at  work  amidst 
primeval  fire  and  steam  and  brimstone,  and  as 
this  man  talked,  some  smiled  incredulously,  for  he 
seemed  as  one  who  lies  blithely  for  his  own  amaze- 
ment. And  perhaps  he  did;  perhaps  they  all  did 
in  some  degree ! 

Always  at  the  first  peep  of  day  the  battle  with 
the  river  began  again.  They  passed  the  turbu- 
lent waters  between  the  Grand  Tower  and  the 
Devil's  Oven.  The  Cornice  Rock  dropped  be- 
hind them,  and  the  perilous  point  called  the  Syca- 
more Root  became  an  unpleasant  memory.  Now 
they  toiled  slowly  past  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskas- 
kia,  upon  which,  a  few  miles  inland,  stood  an  im- 
portant old  town  of  the  same  name  —  a  pleasant 
village,  and  proud  to  remember  that  it  had  once 
entertained  the  great  friend  of  Liberty,  Lafayette. 


Down  the  Ohio  23 

Now  the  whitewashed  mud  walls  and  the  wooden 
crosses  of  St.  Genevieve  were  seen  on  the  Mis- 
souri side,  a  mile  up  the  little  creek  called  Ga- 
boureau.  To  the  eastward  were  the  rich  alluvial 
lands  of  the  "  American  Bottom/'  and  there  the 
scattered  farmsteads  of  the  petits  paysans,  or 
small  planters,  made  the  landscape  pleasant. 
More  days  of  gruelling  labor,  and  they  saw  the 
shot  towers  of  Herculaneum  set  high  on  the 
bluffs  to  the  west.  Past  the  mouth  of  the  Mara- 
mec  they  forged  slowly;  past  the  thriving  villages 
of  Carondelet  and  Cahokla.  Then,  at  last,  fif- 
teen days  after  they  had  left  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio,  they  saw  the  city  of  St.  Louis  rising  gradu- 
ally from  the  water's  edge  up  the  flanks  of  the 
westward  bluffs;  and  at  a  distance  it  was  like  a 
seated  throng  viewing  from'  a  spacious  amphi- 
theatre the  pageant  of  the  westering  peoples  I 


II 


""  AT   ST.    LOUIS 


WHEN  Jedediah  Smith  first  walked  the 
streets  of  St.  Louis,  the  town  was  nearly 
\  sixty  years  old,  and  its  motley  population  of  Span- 
ish, French  and  Americans  numbered  somewhat 
less  than  five  thousand.  Though  its  advantageous 
position  near  the  central  point  of  a  vast  system 
of  waterways  had  made  it  an  important  settlement 
from  the  time  of  its  founding,  yet  it  had  shown 
little  progress  until  after  that  day  in  March, 
1804,  when,  in  the  course  of  twenty-four  hours,  it 
had  flown  in  succession  the  flags  of  Spain,  France 
and  the  United  States  in  token  of  the  passing 
sovereignty  of  the  great  territory  of  Louisiana. 
Shortly  thereafter  Lewis  and  Clark  had  under- 
taken their  famous  exploring  expedition  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  the  influx  of  Ameri- 
cans had  begun.  The  Yankee  spirit  soon  trans- 
formed the  general  aspect  of  the  old  town. 
Whereas,  before,  most  of  the  houses  were  frame 
structures  daubed  with  mud  and  whitewashed, 
or  built  of  stone  in  the  rough  and  coated  with 
mortar,  brick  houses  had  begun  to  appear,  until 

24 


At  St.  Louis  25 

In  rSi9,  as  a  traveller  of  the  time  Informs  us, 
"  lines  of  buildings  containing  handsome  and  spa- 
clous  city  houses  "  were  to  be  seen  — "  houses 
that  would  not  have  disgraced  Philadelphia."  ^ 
In  18 1 7  the  first  steamboat,  the  Pike,  arrived,  and 
In  18 19  the  Independence  made  the  trip  to  Frank- 
hn  and  back  —  the  first  power  boat  to  sail  the 
Missouri  River.  During  the  same  year,  the 
Western  Engineer,  bearing  the  exploring  party  of 
Major  Long,  ascended  to  a  point  near  the  present 
city  of  Omaha.  But,  though  the  development  of 
steamboat  navigation  continued  steadily  from  that 
time  on,  It  was  not  until  the  year  1831  that  steam- 
boats began  to  ascend  the  Missouri  as  far  as  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  all  traffic  on  the 
upper  reaches  of  the  Missouri  was  still  by  keel- 
boats  and  macklnaws. 

After  the  transfer  of  Louisiana  to  the  United 
States,  the  fur  trade,  which  had  been  the  'chief 
Industry  of  the  town  from  the  beginning,  had 
soon  increased  In  volume  as  a  result  of  American 
enterprise.  On  March  12th,  18 11,  the  Overland 
Astorlans,  under  the  command  of  W.  P.  Hunt, 
had  left  St.  Louis,  bound  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia,  where  they  expected  to  join  forces  with 
a  sea  expedition  that  had  left  New  York  harbor 
on  the  ship  Tonquin  early  in  September  of  the 
previous  year  for  the  long  and  hazardous  voyage 
around  the  Horn.     The  tale  of  the  Astorlans,  as 

1  Flint.     "Recollections,"  etc. 


26  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

told  by  Washington  Irving,  Is  one  of  the  master- 
pieces of  American  Literature. 

During  the  war  of  1812  the  fur  trade  had  de- 
clined, and  though  In  the  year  18 19  five  companies 
of  some  importance  were  operating  from  St. 
Louis,  the  chief  of  these  being  the  Missouri  Fur 
Company,  headed  by  the  veteran  Spanish  trader, 
Manuel  Lisa,  yet  none  of  these  was  doing  a  profit- 
able  business". 

However,  Jed  had  arrived  at  a  most  auspicious 
time  —  just  when  the  tide,  having  reached  its  low- 

_?st^-?kki.Jl^_k£SHI^_Lo^JiHI"-     The  great  Manuel 
Li^,  who  had  for  many  years  operated  on  the 
Upper  Missouri  and  Yellowstone,  had  died  two 
yea.rS-i£for£  and  had  beensucceeded  ^ly^  Joshua 
Pilcher  as  head  of  the  MIs^ourTTur  Company, 
which,  however,  was  then  neanng  the  end  of  its 
history.     In  1821  Pilcher  had  established  a  new 
trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bighorn;  and 
^^'but  ajFcwjHLe£k&_befor£^mit^  arrival,  the  Com- 
J2gj2X-bj^'^  <ipnf  nnf  ^jQzxtjjy^  i8o  trappers  undc r 
Jones^and  Immel,  bound  for  the  Upper  Missouri 
.country^^  Thougfi""sutcessfur  aFthe"  start,  this  ex- 
pedition was  d^OQm£d-tn  mef^r.JJ.sa&t£JLat  the  hands 
I      of  the  3)ackfe£t  near  the  Forks  of  the  Missouri, 
^^-aad^its  two  leaders  were  never  to  return. 

It  is  not  in  keeping  with  our  purpose  to  follow 
here  the  falling  fortunes  of  the  old  Missouri  Fur 
Company,  though  the  bare  factual  story  of  that 
organization  is  packed  with  the  precious  stuff  of 


At  St.  Louis  27 

which  great  epics  are  made.  What  does  concern 
our  purpose  is  a  brief  paragraph  that  had  ap- 
peared In  the  Missouri  Republican  for  March 
20th,  1822,  less  than  two  months  before  the 
arrival  of  our  hero.     It  ran  as  follows: 

TO  ENTERPRISING  YOUNG  MEN 

The  subscriber  wishes  to  engage  one  hundred  young 
men  to  ascend  the  Missouri  River  to  its  source,  there  to 
be  employed  for  one,  two  or  three  3ears.  For  particulars 
enquire  of  Major  Andrew  Henry,  near  the  lead  mines  in  '\  \  ^ 
the  County  of  Washington,  who  will  ascend  with,  and 
command,  the  party;  or  of  the  subscriber  near  St.  Louis. 
(Signed)   William  H.  Ashley. 


The  names  there  given  could  not  but  inspire 
the  greatest  confidence  among  the  adventurous 
young  spirits  of  that  time  and  place.  M^or  i 
HejcH%JbQrn  In  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  duf^^''^ 
Yhg  the  early  part  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  had 
descended  the  Ohio  in  his  middle  twenties.  He 
was  one  of  the  Incorporators  of  the  Missouri  Fur 
Coi'ipany  in  1809,  and  In  the  spring  and  summer 
of  that  year  had  led  an  expedition  up  the  Missouri 
to  the  Three  Forks,  where  a  trading  post  had 
been  established.  Driven  thence  by  the  terrible 
Blackfeet,  he  had  crossed  the  Continental  Divide 
and  built  a  fort  on  what  has  since  been  called 
Henry's  Fork  of  the  Snake  River,  lhysj)eing  the 
first  American  tradex  Jo„  C£erat^^  west  of  the 
Rockies.     Having    spent    there    the    winter'  of 


28  The  Splendid  fV  ay  faring 

1810-11,  Henry,  finding  this  position  also  ex- 
tremely difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  hold  against 
the  Indians,  had  returned  to  St.  Louis  during  the 
following  summer.  For  ten  years  now  he  had 
been  engaged  in  lead  mining,  and  had  come  to  be 
known  as  "Andrew  Henry  of  the  Mines";  but 
the  stories  of  his  adventures  beyond  the  Great 
Divide  still  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  we 
may  be  sure  that  they  had  lost  nothing  of  wonder 
in  the  passing. 

x'  Though  William  Henry  Ashley  had  not  yet 
ventured  into  the  wilderness,  yet  his  name  had 
become  one  to  conjure  with.  Born  in  Powhatan 
County,  Virginia,  in  1778,  he  had  settled  in  St. 
Louis  in  1802,  where  he  seems  very  soon  to  have 
won  prominence.  He  was  made  Captain  of  the 
Missouri  Militia  in  18 13,  Colonel  In  18 19,  and 
was  now  General.  Two  years  before,  he  had 
\been  elected  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  State, 
ibujt  recently  admitted  to  the  Union. 

Tt  is  not  surprising  that  these  Illustrious  names, 
together  with  the  new  spirit  of  adventure  that 
was  in  the  air,  should  have  brought  a  ready  re- 
sponse to  the  advertisement  above  quoted. 
Within  a  fortnight  the  one  hundred  young  men 
had  been  enrolled,  "  many  of  whom,"  as  a  local 
paper  remarked  at  the  time,  '*  had  relinquished 
the  most  respectable  employments  and  circles  of 
society  "  for  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  wilder- 
ness life.     And  what  men  they  were  I     Fate  seems 


At  St.  Louis  2% 

just  then  to  have  been  in  a  specially  artistic  mood,  I 
bent  upon  plotting  their  story  on  an  epic  scale; 
to  this  end  choosing  the  most  heroic  spirits  of  an  1 
heroic  region,  dooming  them  to  wanderings  that  | 
should  make  those  of  Odysseus  and  i^neas  seem  \ 
mere  pleasure  jaunts,  preparing  amazing  adven-  j 
tures  for  them  to  encounter,  mighty  deeds  that  f 
they  should  do,  and,  for  many,  strange  and  tragic  / 
ends.  — ^ 

On  April  15th,  1822,  some  three  weeks  before. 
Jed  Smith,  their  future  comrade  and  leader,  had', 
set  foot  upon  the  St.  Louis  landing,  these  hundred) 
men  with  two  keelboats  loaded  with  trapping  sup-j 
plies  and  goods  for  the  Indian  trade,  had  begun; 
the  long  ascent  of  the  Missouri  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Major  Henry.     General  Ashley  had  ac-\ 
companied  them,  intending  to  ascend  to  the  mouth  \ 
of  the  Yellowstone  and  to  return  to  the  States  in  : 
the  fall.     The  first  objective  of  the  expedition 
was  the  Three   Forks   of  the   Missouri,   where, 
as  Rumor  had  it,  "  existed  a  wealth  of  furs  not 
surpassed  by  the  mines  of  Peru."     From  thence  \ 
trapping  parties  would  work  the  creeks  and  rivers 
on  both  sides  of  the  Great  Divide;  and,  if  cir- 
cumstances   should   prove    favorable,    the    party 
would  later  move  on  down  the  trail  of  Lewis  and 
Clark  even  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.     ^ 

One  can  easily  imagine  what  must  have  beerr\ 
Jed's  regret  upon  hearing  everywhere  the  eager  ; 
talk  about  the  two  great  expeditions  that  had  so  I 


30  The  Splendid  IVayfaring 

recently  started  for  the  mountains.     If  he  had 
only  come  a  month  earlier,  he  might  even  now  be 
far  up  the  river  In  pursuit  of  his  dream.     But 
perhaps  it  was  just  as  well  after  all.     With  his  ex- 
perience as  a  clerk  on  the  lake  boats  of  the  British 
i  fur  traders,  he  found  no  difficulty  in  getting  em- 
\ployment  in  an  office  of  one  of  the  St.  Louis  com- 
^j)anies,  where  he  might  have  the  opportunity  of 
ipecomlng  familiar  with  American  methods  of  busi- 
ness.    Nor  was  his  great  dream  idle  during  the 
long  summer  that  followed.     In  any  tavern  of  the 
town   one  might  meet   old   Spanish   and   French 
veterans  of  the  wilderness,  some  of  whom,  no 
doubt,  had  been  with  Lisa  at  the  Three  Forks; 
some  with  Henry  beyond  the  Rockies;  and  some 
must  have  known  the  Spanish  country  and  been  to 
Santa  Fe.     Many  were  the  tales  of  Indian  fights, 
hairbreadth  escapes,  and  well  nigh  incredible  suf- 
ferings from  hunger  and  thirst  that  these  would 
tell,  providing  they  were  first  well  warmed  with 
the  liquor  of  their  liking. 

r'^Xittle  by  little  Jed  was  able  to  pick  up  much 
^'of  what  seemed  to  be  fairly  dependable  geographl- 
j  cal  information  regarding  the  Great  Northwest 
j  and  the  Great  Southwest,  all  of  which  he  carefully 
.   noted  on  a  crude  map  of  the  period.     But  there 
I   was  a  vast  triangular  space,  with  its  apex  some- 
where in  the  Upper  Platte  region,  one  leg  extend- 
ing to  the  Columbia's  mouth  and  the  other  reach- 
ing out  toward  the  Gulf  of  California,  that  re- 


At  St.  Louis  31 

mained  white  In  spite  of  his  Inquiries.  Now  and 
then  some  old-timer,  whose  creative  faculty  had 
been  somewhat  overstlmulated,  would  remember 
that  he  had  once  met  a  man  whose  name  he  did 
not  recall,  who  had  heard  from  someone  much 
about  that  interior  country.  Nevertheless,  no  in- 
formation was  forthcoming  that  Jed  might  record 
within  that  immense  blank  triangle  —  the  country 
of  his  dream.  And  so,  during  the  summer  of 
1822,  the  dream  was  nurtured  with  mystery  and 
grew  mighty. 

Nor  was  Jed  the  only  dreamer  in  St.  Louis. 
It  was  an  era  of  dreaming,  for  the  lure  of  easy 
wealth  was  in  the  air  and  had  fastened  like  an 
enchantment  upon  all  men.  One  had  only  to  get 
far  enough  away  from  the  States  to  find,  in  inex- 
haustible quantities  and  with  all  the  circumstances 
of  romance,  the  means  for  realizing  one's  wildest 
dream.  Somewhere  out  yonder  all  the  streams 
swarmed  with  beaver,  the  price  of  which  was  ris- 
ing rapidly.  The  fur-fever  was  raging  now,  just 
as  the  gold-fever  would  rage  a  little  over  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  later,  and  after  that  the  home- 
stead-fever. In  its  issue  for  September  17th,  the 
Intelligencer  of  St.  Louis  published  an  article 
in  which  the  following  paragraph  occurred: 
"  Those  formerly  engaged  in  the  trade  have  In- 
creased their  capital  and  extended  their  enter- 
prises; many  new  firms  have  engaged  in  it  and 
others  are  preparing  to  do  so.     It  is  computed 


32  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

that  a  thousand  men,  chiefly  from  this  place,  are 
now  employed  on  the  waters  of  the  Missouri  and 
half  that  number  on  the  upper  Mississippi." 

Men  ,were  in  a  mood  for  hearing  big  stories 
that  summer  and  fall.  In  the  absence  of  reports 
from  the  upper  country,  Rumor  worked  overtime; 
and  it  seemed  that  nearly  every  able-bodied  man 
Jed  met  had  set  his  heart  upon  "  going  to  the 
mountains "  next  year.  Then  one  day  during 
mid-October  came  what  seemed  to  be  unqualified 
A^cojrdbo^|ion  of  the  wildest  rumors.  In  the 
""  olden  £u^umn  doze  a  fleet  of  rude  macklnaws,  un- 
er  the  command  of  Captain  Perkins  of  the  Mis- 
souri Fur  Company,  cime  drifting  down  from  the 
"mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  tied  up  at  the  St. 
Louis  landing.  They  had  made  the  dangerous 
trip  from  the  upper  waters  of  the  far  off  Yellow- 
stone, and  they  were  laden  with  costly  beaver 
packs.  Twenty-four  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
fur!  The  news  of  their  coming  had  travelled 
across  country  from  St.  Charles  on  the  Missouri, 
and  all  St.  Louis,  it  seemed,  was  crowded* along 
the  water  front  to  welcome  this  Jason  and  his 
crew  returning  with  the  Golden  Fleece.  Gaunt 
with  toil  and  privations,  long-haired  and  bewhis- 
kered,  bronzed  with  the  sun  and  wind  of  the 
wilderness,  and  clad  in  savage  garb,  these  men 
were  received  as  conquerors  are  received.  Bells 
rang  in  all  the  steeples,  guns  roared  up  and  down 
the  river  front,  dogs  barked,  men  shouted  and 


Photo  by  L.  T.  Walter 
A  Scene  on  Weber  River,  which  Ashley  Mistook  for  the 
Buenaventura 


Shoshone  Falls,  .Snake  River 


Photo  by  Kopac 


At  St.  Louis  33 

sang.  Far  into  the  night  the  celebration  con- 
tinued. Bonfires  flared.  Liquor  flowed  freely. 
For  this  was  more  than  a  triumph  (alas,  the  last !) 
of  the  old  Missouri  Fur  Company.  It  was,  in  a 
sense,  the  first,  though  vicarious,  triumph  of  many 
a  dreamer's  dream. 

A  week  later  another  and  smaller  party  arrived 
in  a  mackinaw.  It  was  General  Ashley  with  a 
handful  of  men  returning  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone.  Once  again  St.  Louis  thronged  the 
water  front,  but  the  manner  of  his  reception, 
though  hearty  enough,  no  doubt,  lacked  something 
of  the  fervor  that  the  arrival  of  Captain  Perkins 
had  aroused ;  for  Ashley's  party  came  with  empty 
hands,  and  the  story  they  had  to  tell  must  have 
seemed^ike  an  anticlimax.  The  hundred  "  enter- 
pri^mg  young  men,"  led  by  Major  Henry,  had 
made  their  way  in  good  time  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone  over  two  thousand  miles  away,  and 
there,  on  the  tongue  of  land  between  the  two 
rivers,  they  had  begun  to  build  a  fort,  from 
whence,  as  a  base,  trapping  parties  might  oper- 
ate. But  ill  fortune  had  not  been  lacking. 
While  still  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  some  two 
days  below  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  River,  one 
of  the  keelboats,  heavily  laden  with  valuable 
goods,  had  become  unmanageable  while  crossing 
the  turbulent  stream  and,  drifting  against  a  snag, 
had  been  staved  and  sunk.  No  lives  had  been 
lost,  but  the  cargo,  valued  at  $10,000,  had  gone 


/' 


34  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

to  the  bottom.  Nevertheless,  the  party  had 
forged  ahead  without  much  delay.  For  weeks 
thereafter  Fate  seemed  to  have  been  propitiated 
by  that  one  sacrifice  below  the  Kansas.  At  the 
villages  of  the  Ree  Indians  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Grand  River  in  what  is  now  South  Dakota, 
Major  Henry  had  spent  several  days  in  successful 
trade  for  horses,  and  had  met  no  difficulty  there, 
though  the  Rees  had  earned  a  reputation  for 
treachery  among  the  earlier  traders.  But  in  the 
month  of  August,  when  the  party  had  passed  the 
Mandan  towns,  a  band  of  Assiniboines  that  had, 
no  doubt,  been  spying  upon  the  Americans  for 
days,  had  swooped  down  upon  the  impotent  horse- 
guards  at  a  time  when  the  main  body  with  the 
keelboat  had  crossed  with  the  channel  to  the  op- 
posite shore.  Fifty  horses,  that  had  but  recently 
been  purchased  from  the  Rees,  were  driven  away, 
while  nearly  a  hundred  men,  well  armed  but  out 
of  range,  gazed  across  the  waste  of  sand  and 
water  and  raged  to  no  purpose. 

But  In  spite  of  these  Initial  disasters,  Ashley 
was  not  discouraged.  With  a  hundred  men  al- 
ready  In  the  fur  country,  he  pointed  out  that  suc- 
cess was  only  a  matter  of  persistence,  and  an- 
nounced his  intention  of  leading  a  second  party  up 
river  early  In  the  spring.  y\mon^  those  who  en- 
listed for  the  great  adventure  was  Jedediah  Smith. 


/ 


III 

NORTHBOUND   WITH    THE   ROBINS 

IT  was  on  the  loth  of  March,  i82j^that  Gen- 
eral Ashley  started  again  for  the  Upper  Mis- 
souri with  a  hundred  men  and  two  keelboats, 
Yellowstone  Packet  and  The  Rocky  Mountains. 
And  with  him  went  Jedediah  Smith  in  pursuit  of 
a  dream  grown  mighty.  / 

The  new  grass  was  like  a  pale  green  flame  burn- 
ing slowly  up  the  sloughs,  and  the  young  leafage 
of  the  cottonwoods  was  a  thin  smoke  against  the 
sky  that  day  when  they  started  north  with  the 
robins.  Singing  they  went,  for  these  hundred  men 
were  young  with  the  spirit  of  adventure,  and  that 
is  still  the  youngest  thing  in  the  world,  though 
it  was  already  ancient  when  history  began.  The 
rattle  of  musketry  and  the  shouting  along  the 
levee  grew  dim,  and  many  a  youngster,  looking 
back,  saw  for  the  last  time  the  smoke  of  the  home- 
fires  pluming  skyward.  Some  were  to  disappear 
like  yonder  hearth-reek,  leaving  no  hint  of  the 
manner  of  their  passing;  and  others,  bewitched 
by  the  wild  life  and  the  vast  free  spaces  of  the 
wilderness,  would  shed,  as  an  uncomfortable  coat, 
the  inheritance  of  ages,  lapsing  into  the  primitive, 

35 


36 


The  Splendid  Wayfaring  p|p| 


never  again  to  long  for  the  snug  comforts  and 
predetermined  ways  of  civilized  man. 

A  day  and  a  night  passed,  and  their  boats, 
swinging  westward,  had  crossed  the  agitated4< 
that,  like  a  tide  rip,  marks  the  thrust  of  the  im- 
petuous Missouri  against  the  slower  might  of  the 
Mississippi.  At  St.  Charles  farewells  were  said 
once  more;  and  then,  day  by  day,  signs  of  civiliza- 
tion became  less  frequent.  From  the  mouth  of 
the  Kansas,  where  the  western  boundary  of  the 
States  then  ran,  the  spring,  still  young  as  at  St. 
Louis,  led  them  north.  Or  did  their  advance 
progressively  awaken  the  spring?  For  weeks,  it 
seemed,  the  wonder  work  made  no  progress.  As 
it  had  been  at  the  Kansas,  so  it  was  at  the  Platte 
and  at  the  Sioux;  for  the  young  men  and  the 
young  sun  and  the  warm  southwinds  were  travel- 
ling together. 

Though  these  adventurers  were  now  well  beyond 
the  frontiers  of  civilization,  yet  it  must  not  be 
inferred  that  they  were  the  only  white  men  in 
that  portion  of  the  great  Missouri  Valley.  Here 
and  there  along  the  river  from  its  mouth  to  the 
Three  Forks  were  scattered  many  trading  posts 
of  varying  importance.  Above  the  Kansas  they 
had  passed  a  considerable  number  of  such  es- 
tablishments. There  was  one  at  the  Blacksnake 
Hills,  founded  by  old  Joseph  Roubidoux  near  the 
site  of  the  present  St.  Joseph.  There  was  the  old 
trading  house  of  the  Choteaus  at  the  mouth  of  the 


b 


Northbound  with  the  Robins  37 

Nishnabotna.  In  the  region  of  the  Platte's  mouth 
they  had  seen  the  post  built  during  the  previous 
year  by  Joshua  Pilcher  of  the  Missouri  Fur  Com- 
pany. Some  fifteen  miles  farther  up  was  old 
Fort  Lisa,  then  about  to  be  abandoned.  Five 
miles  beyond  that,  near  the  point  where  Lewis 
and  Clark  held  their  famous  council  with  the  Otoe 
and  Missouri  Indians,  stood  Fort  Atkinson,  then 
the  northermost  military  post  of  the  United 
States  on  the  Missouri  River.  It  was  commanded 
at  that  time  by  Colonel  Leavenworth  who  was 
soon  to  win  doubtful  laurels  as  leader  of  the 
"  Missouri  Legion "  in  the  Ree  Campaign. 
There  were  American  traders  at  Blackbird  Hill 
near  the  old  mud  village  of  the  Omaha  Indians; 
and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sioux,  where  Sioux 
City  now  stands,  the  American  Fur  Company 
maintained  a  house.  At  most  of  these  points 
Ashley's  men  had  rested  long  enough  to  exchange 
gossip  fresh  from  the  States  for  news  from  the 
great  upper  country.  ^^^^^ — - 

On  into  the  North  they  forged  with  poTe  anST^ 
oar  and  sail  and  cordelle;  but  now  it  was  May, 
and  the  pale  green  spring  somehow  began  to  out- 
pace them  at  last,  though  they  could  not  say  just 
when  they  had  dropped  behind.     The  grass  in 
the  sloughs  seemed  suddenly  to  have   deepened 
and  darkened,    and  the    full-leafed  cottonwoods    ,' 
were  ready  for  the  heavy  heat  of  the  summer,  as  / 
yet  withheld.     Past  the  mouth  of  the  Vermillion  / 


"1 


38  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

they  toiled;  past  the  Riviere  a  Jacques;  past  Ponca 
Post  where  the  fleet  Niobrara  assails  the  Missouri 
with  a  roar  and  hurls  it  back  despite  its  greater 
mass.  They  were  now  in  the  country  of  the  pow- 
erful Sioux  tribe,  which,  though  destined  to  make 
the  last  great  stand  of  all  the  prairie  peoples 
against  the  westering  Aryan  forty  years  later,  was 
still  friendly  to  the  whites. 

Hitherto,  the  northward  march  of  Ashley's 
party  had  seemed  little  more  than  a  pleasure 
jaunt,  for  though  the  labor  at  the  cordelle  was  no 
child's  play,  it  was  divided  among  a  hundred 
men,  and  no  unforeseen  obstacles  had  been  en- 
countered. But  soon  they  were  to  hear  that 
which  should  put  a  new  face  upon  the  whole  ad- 
venture, shatter  the  illusions  of  the  attenuated 
pussy-willow  spring.  At  noon  one  day  they  tolled 
past  the  White  River  coming  in  on  their  left; 
and  when  the  sun  was  level  with  the  bluffs,  they 
swung  around  a  right  hand  bend,  and  paused  to 
shout.  There,  a  little  way  ahead  of  them,  was 
American  Island,  green  wi<;[^  r^d^^S  and  at  its 
lower  point  stood  Fort  Recovery,  the  Sioux  trad- 
ing post  of  the  Missouri  Fur  Company  —  a  clus- 
ter of  log  cabins  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  sharp- 
ened pickets. 

Many  of  Ashley's  party  and  the  men  at  the  fort 
had  known  each  other  since  boyhood,  and  it  is 
easy  to  imagine  how  the  evening  was  spent.  But 
the  news  that  the  newcomers  received  in  return 


Northbound  with  the  Robins  39 

for  the  latest  gossip  from  home  was  hardly  re- 
assuring. The  Rees,  it  appeared,  were  in  a  bad 
mood.  Two  months  before,  a  band  of  over  a 
hundred  had  boldly  entered  the  Sioux  country, 
robbed  a  party  of  white  traders  and,  encouraged 
by  this  initial  success,  had  attacked  the  fort.  In 
the  brisk  battle  that  followed,  several  of  the  In- 
dians had  been  wounded  and  two  had  been  killed, 
one  of  the  latter  being  the  son  of  a  chief.  Since 
that  time,  persistent  rumors  had  been  coming 
down  stream  to  the  effect  that  the  tribe  Intended 
to  leave  its  villages  near  the  mouth  of  the  Grand, 
join  forces  with  the  Mandans  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Knife,  and  resist  any  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  traders  to  pais  that  point. 

The  assembled  parties  at  Fort  Recovery  could 
not  know  '  that  this  apparently  unwarranted 
flare-up  of  the  Rees  was  not  merely  a  matter  of 
whim  on  the  part  of  that  particular  people.  It 
was,  in  fact,  symptomatic  of  a  widespread  spirit 
of  opposition  among  the  tribes  of  a  vast  region, 
due  to  the  large  number  of  traders  that  were  en- 
tering the  country  with  the  revival  of  the  fur 
trade.  It  could  not  be  known  that,  far  away  at 
the  Three  Forks,  Jones  and  Immel,  who  had  gone 
out  with  one  hundred  eighty  men  during  the 
previous  spring,  were  even  then  approaching  death 
and  disaster  at  the  hands  of  the  Blackfeet;  and 
that  bad  news  was  already  on  the  way  from  Henry 
on  the  upper  river. 


40  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

But  even  considering  the  affair  solely  as  a  mat- 
ter of  Ree  caprice,  and  assuming  that  the  Man- 
dans  had  no  notion  of  joining  forces  with  their 
neighbors  to  the  south,  Ashley  was  confronted 
v/ith  a  dilemma.  The  Ree  villages  were  strongly 
fortified  and  commanded  the  river.  It  appeared 
that  a  wedge  was  about  to  be  driven  between  the 
ascending  party  and  Henry  at  the  Yellowstone's 
mouth;  for  the  overland  trip  was,  of  course,  im- 
possible without  many  pack  horses,  and  only 
among  the  Rees  themselves,  it  was  thought,  could 
a  number  sufficient  for  such  an  undertaking  be 
found.  The  only  course  possible  was  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  the  Indian  villages  with  the  boats. 
After  all,  the  mood  of  the  Rees  might  have 
changed  by  now;  and  there  was  much  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  tribe  to  justify  such  a  hope,  for  no 
trader  ever  knew  which  way  the  wind  of  their 
whim  might  blow. 

Accordingly,  the  early  dawn  saw  Ashley's  hun- 
dred moving  northward  again.  Four  days  passed 
by  without  any  noteworthy  incident;  and  then  at 
noon  of  the  fifth  day,  when  they  were  nearing  the 
mouth  of  the  Cheyenne,  an  express  arrived  with 
news  from  their  comrades  in  the  upper  country. 
Things  had  not  been  going  well  with  Major 
Henry.  Having  left  his  new  post  in  charge  of 
a  small  band,  he  had  pushed  on  up  the  Missouri 
early  in  the  spring.  Near  the  Great  Falls  he  had 
encountered  a  hostile  party  of  Blackfeet.     De- 


Northbound  with  the  Robins  41 

feated  and  forced  to  retreat,  he  was  now  waiting 
for  reinforcements  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow- 
stone. He  had  lost  most  of  his  horses,  and  asked 
that  at  least  fifty  should  be  purchased  by  Ashley 
from  the  Rees,  for  none  could  be  procured  in  his 
vicinity.  He  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the 
treachery  of  the  Assiniboines  during  the  previous 
fall  and  the  recent  resistance  of  the  Blackfeet 
might  be  traced  to  the  influence  of  the  British 
traders  who  naturally  looked  with  disfavor  upon 
the  advance  of  American  trappers  toward  the 
rich  fur  country  of  the  Columbia  and  its  tribu- 
taries. 

Plainly  enough,  the  key  to  success  for  both  par- 
ties was  held  by  the  Rees!  They  had  the  needed 
horses  and  they  held  the  river. 

Clinging  to  the  hope  that  all  might  still  be 
well,  Ashley  pushed  on  up  stream.  At  sunset  on 
the  29th  of  May  the  party  camped  at  the  mouth 
of  the  ©rand  some  five  or  six  miles  below  the 
Ree  "^wns.  ;  In  mid-afternoon  of  the  next  day 
they  rounded  a  bend  where  the  river,  flowing  for 
some  distance  from,  east  to  west,  turns  abruptly 
south,  and  saw  along  the  north  bank,  not  more 
than  half  a  mile  ahead,  a  clutter  of  mud  lodges 
and  a  portion  of  a  newly  built  stockade  that  ap- 
parently surrounded  the  settlement. 

The  <2:ofdjTIe^  crews  were  now  taken  aboard, 
rifles  were  placed  in  easy  reach  of  the  men,  and 
the  boats,  proceeding  with  oars  and  poles  to  a 


42  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

point  in  front  of  the  lower  village,  were  anchored 
in  mid-stream.  The  two  towns,  set  upon  the  flat 
lands  in  two  convex  bends  that  joined  at  the  mouth 
of  a  little  creek  flowing  from  the  north,  were 
now  visible  to  the  men  on  the  keelboats;  and  each 
of  the  one  hundred  forty-one  lodges  was  like  a 
hornet's  nest  boiling  forth  its  swarm.  The  gut- 
tural voices  of  men,  the  high  pitched,  querulous 
cries  of  the  squaws,  and  the  barking  of  the  dogs 
ran  over  the  settlement.  Many  a  youth  who  was 
making  his  first  trip  into  the  wilds  thought  wist- 
fully of  home  in  those  tense  moments,  wondering 
why  he  had  ever  wished  to  leave. 

A  Canadian  boatman,  who  had  been  with  Henry 
west  of  the  Rockies,  mounted  the  low  roof  of  the 
Yellowstone's  cabin,  cupped  his  hands  about  his 
mouth  and  shouted  a  greeting  to  the  Rees.  The 
hubbub  among  the  nearby  lodges  subsided  as  he 
began  to  talk  in  the  universal  sign  language  of  the 
plains,  indicating  the  peaceful  nature  of  the  white 
men's  mission  and  their  wish  to  enter  into  a  par- 
ley. The  reply  from  the  Rees  seemed  friendly; 
and,  seeing  three  Indians,  two  of  whom  were  evi- 
dently chiefs,  making  their  way  toward  the  river 
bank.  General  Ashley,  with  two  men,  put  off  in 
a  skiff  and  met  them  on  the  strip  of  sandy  beach. 

Now  it  happened,  whether  by  good  fortune  or 
ill  remained  yet  to  be  seen,  that  the  man  who  ac- 
companied the  two  chiefs  to  the  parley  was  the 
notorious  Edward  Rose,  the  sound  of  whose  name, 


Northbound  with  the  Robins  43 

mentioned  at  intervals  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to 
the  Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri,  would  at  that 
time  have  awakened  in  sequence  every  note  in  the 
gamut  of  emotion  from  contempt  or  fear  to  ad- 
miration. The  son  of  a  white  trader  and  a  half- 
breed  negro  and  Cherokee  woman,  Rose  had 
achieved  notoriety  during  the  closing  years  of  the 
1 8th  century  as  one  of  a  band  of  pirates  operating 
among  the  islands  of  the  lower  Mississippi. 
About  the  year  1807,  the  business  of  piracy  seems 
to  have  become  too  hazardous  even  for  a  man  of 
Rose's  nature,  and  he  had  fled  to  the  wild  country 
where  a  man  might  still  be  free  to  exercise  his 
tnpre  li^bust  talents.  Within  a  year  or  two  there- 
after, thanks  to  shrewdness,  audacity,  undeniable 
courage,  and  a  dusky  skin,  he  had  arisen  to  a  posi- 
tion of  great  power  among  the  Crow  Indians, 
whose  country  lay  south  of  the  Yellowstone  and 
west  of  the  Powder  River.  In  181 1  he  was 
among  the  Rees  when  the  Overland  Astorians  un- 
der W.  P.  Hunt  passed  that  way,  and  he  had 
acted  as  a  guide  for  the  westbound  party  from 
the  Missouri  to  the  Country  of  the  Crows,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  about  1820,  when  he  had 
taken  up  his  abode  among  the  Rees.  r 

Recognizing  the  man  at  once  by  the  disfiguring 
scar  of  an  old  cutlass  wound  across  the  nose,  by 
reason  of  which  he  was  generally  known  as  Nez 
Coupe,  Ashley  greeted  him  warmly;  for  the  suc- 
cess of  the  present  venture  might  easily  depend 


44  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

upon  the  influence  of  this  ex-pirate.  For  a  suit- 
able consideration  Rose  agreed  to  act  as  inter- 
preter. The  two  parties  squatted  in  a  circle  on 
the  sand,  and  the  pipe  was  passed  in  dignified 
silence,  while  the  boat-crews  in  mid-stream  and 
the  Indians,  crowded  on  the  roofs  of  their  mud 
lodges,  looked  on  in  a  hush  of  expectancy.  When 
the  preliminary  ceremony  was  over,  the  General 
opened  the  parley.  His  heart  was  good  and  he 
would  speak  straight  words  to  his  brothers,  the 
Rees.  The  white  men  at  the  fort  on  the  Island 
of  the  Cedars  in  the  country  of  the  Sioux  had  told 
him  things  that  were  not  good  to  hear.  He  was 
sad  when  he  heard  that  there  had  been  trouble 
between  the  Rees  and  the  white  men  down  yon- 
der; and  he  had  grieved  to  hear  that  a  chief's  son 
had  been  killed.  All  the  way  up  from  the  Island 
of  the  Cedars  he  had  been  thinking  hard  about 
this  thing;  and  he  had  feared  that  the  Rees  might 
feel  angry  at  all  white  men  because  of  what  had 
happened.  That  would  be  wrong.  It  was  not, 
however,  a  weak  heart  that  made  him  speak  so. 
His  heart  was  very  strong,  for  he  was  a  big  chief 
in  his  own  country;  and  had  he  not  a  hundred 
brave  men  out  yonder  on  the  boats?  And  each 
of  them  had  grown  up  with  a  rifle  and  could 
shoot  straight.  He  knew  that  if  there  should  be 
trouble,  many  Rees  would  surely  die.  And  that 
was  not  good  to  think  about.     He  had  passed  that 


Northbound  with  the  Robins  45 

way  a  year  ago  and  had  stopped  to  trade  with  the 
Rees.  They  had  been  very  kind,  and  so  his  heart 
was  warm  toward  them.  His  friends,  who  were 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  needed  more 
horses  which  were  not  to  be  had  up  there,  because 
the  Assiniboines  were  not  rich  as  the  Rees  were. 
He  wished  to  buy  horses  and  go  on  to  his  friends. 
He  had  spoken. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  General's  speech,  the 
chiefs  withdrew  for  a  private  conference;  and 
when  they  returned,  after  what  had  seemed  an 
interminable  period  to  the  anxious  white  men, 
they  brought  soft  words.  They  too  had  been 
sad  to  hear  of  what  had  happened  at  the  Island 
of  the  Cedars;  but  three  moons  had  grown  old 
and  died  since  then,  and  they  no  longer  remem- 
bered. As  the  black  trail  of  a  prairie  fire  is  made 
green  with  rain,  so  their  hearts  were  green  again. 
Those  were  all  young  men  who  had  gone  down 
yonder,  wishing  to  be  brave  and  being  only  foolish. 
Young  men  were  like  that,  and  would  not  listen 
to  the  old  men  whom  many  winters  had  made  wise. 
They  knew  the  big  white  chief  before  them  spoke 
straight  words.  Also,  their  own  tongues  were 
not  forked.  They  had  many  good  horses  —  so 
many  that  one  could  not  see  them  all  with  a  look. 
They  would  trade.     The  Ree  chiefs  had  spoken. 

Ashley  now  gave  liberal  gifts  of  scarlet  cloth 
to  the  chiefs  and,  having  agreed  upon  the  mer- 


4-6  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

chandise  that  should  be  exchanged  for  the  horses 
(which  included  a  liberal  supply  of  powder  and 
ball),  the  white  men  returned  to  the  boats.  The 
tense  silence  that  had  clung  about  the  party  in 
mid-stream  during  the  parley,  now  gave  way  to 
singing  and  laughter  and  jest,  as  the  men  made 
ready  for  the  trade.  Raw  youths,  out  of  sheer 
relief  from  dread,  boasted  valiantly.  If  the  Rees 
wanted  trouble,  they  knew  very  well  where  they 
could  get  it  in  plenty!  Here,  evidently,  was  a 
good  example  of  crossing  bridges  before  you 
reached  them.  In  a  few  weeks  now  the  two 
parties  would  be  united  on  the  Yellowstone,  and 
where  was  the  parcel  of  niggers  that  could  stop 
two  hundred  white  men?  However,  some  of  the 
older  members  of  the  party  examined  their  rifle- 
locks,  and  were  silent. 

Shortly  after  noon  the  dickering  began.  It 
continued  until  sunset;  and  all  next  day  they  hag- 
gled, Yankee  shrewdness  and  Indian  cunning  con- 
testing every  point  as  the  shaggy  ponies  came  up 
for  appraisal.  By  evening  of  the  first  of  June 
the  desired  number  of  animals  had  been  purchased, 
and,  uneasy  with  their  hobbles,  these  milled  and 
nickered  on  the  beach.  During  the  bartering  ar- 
rangements had  been  made  for  a  party  to  set'out 
,with  the  herd  at  dawn  for  the  cross-country  trip 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone.  Forty  of  the 
more  dependable  men  were  chosen  for  this  task, 
and  among  the  number  was  Jedediah  Smith. 


\    ^ 


Northbound  with  the  Robins  47 

As  twilight  deepened,  the  overland  party  made 
a  semi-circular  camp  which,  with  the  river,  en- 
closed the  herd;  and  a  crescent  of  driftwood  fires 
was  glowing  when  the  dark  came  down. 


IV 

THE   BATTLE 

THE  camp  fires  on  the  beach  burned  low,  serv- 
ing only  to  heighten  the  sense  of  compan- 
ionship among  the  men;  for  it  was  a  sultry  night. 
Sounds  carried  far.  A  dog-feast  was  being  held 
somewhere  in  the  upper  village,  and  now  and  then 
the  drums  of  the  dance  boomed  through  the  soft 
dusk  that  was  odorous  with  the  young  summer. 
At  times,  the  bass  voices  of  the  singing  braves 
roared  above  the  drums,  and  out  of  these  soared 
the  thin-spun  notes  of  the  squaws.  Then  the  song 
would  cease  abruptly,  and  in  the  succeeding  hush 
the  droning  of  insect  life  and  the  mumble  of  the 
river  would  come  back  —  like  the  sense  of  dear 
and  common  things.  Sometimes  a  voyageur  on 
the  black  boats  would  fling  a  snatch  of  song  across 
the  forty  yards  of  darkling  water  that  separated 
the  parties,  and  the  camp  on  shore  would  catch  it 
up  boisterously,  and  set  the  horses  neighing.  Or 
some  wag  in  the  camp,  remembering  a  current  jest 
at  the  expense  of  a  comrade  out  yonder,  would 
hurl  it  at  the  boats,  receiving  a  good-natured 
verbal  drubbing  for  his  pains,  till  the  distant  bluffs 
joined  in  the  laughter. 

48 


•^ 


The  Battle  49 

It  was  the  time  when  men  remember  tales,  and 
about  those  fires  where  yarns  were  being  spun, 
the  groups  increased. 

"  Go  ahead  and  roll  us  out  some  of  your  doin's 
that  time  across  the  plains,"  said  a  youngster, 
lounging  in  one  of  the  larger  groups,  to  an  old- 
timer  who  had  been  to  Santa  Fe  and  had  scars  to 
show.     *'  You  seed  sights  that  spree,  eh?  "  ^ 

"  Well,  we  did !  "  the  old  timer  replied. 

Far  off  thunder  mumbled  as  the  party  waited 
for  the  yarning  to  begin. 

'*  Some  of  'em  got  their  flints  fixed  this  side  of 
Pawnee  Fork,"  so  the  old  veteran  began  at  length, 
"  and  a  heap  of  mule  meat  went  wolfing.  Just 
by  Little  Arkansaw  we  saw  the  first  Injun.  Me 
and  young  Somes  was  ahead  for  meat,  and  I  had 
hobbled  the  old  mule  and  was  approachin'  some 
goats,  when  I  see  the  critturs  turn  back  their  heads 
and  jump  right  away  from  me.  *  Hurraw,  Dick !  ' 
I  shouts,  '  hyar's  brown  skin  a  comin' !  '  And  off 
I  makes  for  my  mule.  The  young  greenhorn  sees 
the  goats  runnin'  up  to  him,  and  not  being  up  to 
Injun  ways,  he  blazes  at  the  first  and  knocks  him 
over.  Jest  then  seven  red  heads  tops  the  bluff, 
and  seven  Pawnees  come  a-screechin'  on  us.  I 
cuts  the  hobbles  and  jumps  on  the  mule,  and  when 
I  looks  back,  there  was  Dick  Somes  rammin'  a 
ball    down   his    gun   like   mad,    and   the    Injuns 

1  The  two  tales  in  this  chapter  are  borrowed,  with  slight 
changes,  from  Ruxton's  "  Life  in  the  Far  West,"  as  being  typical 
of  the  campfire  yarns  of  the  period. 


50  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

flingin'  their  arrows  at  him  pretty  smart,  I  tell 
you.  *  Hurraw,  Dick,  mind  your  hair !  '  And  I 
ups  old  Greaser  and  let  one  Injun  have  It  as  was 
goin'  plum  through  the  boy  with  his  lance.  He 
turned  on  his  back  handsome,  and  Dick  gets  the 
ball  down  at  last,  blazes  away  and  drops  another. 
Then  we  charged  on  'em,  and  they  clears  off  like 
runnin'  cows.  I  takes  the  hair  off  the  heads  of 
the  two  as  we  made  meat  of;  and  I  do  believe 
thar's  some  of  them  scalps  on  my  leggin's  yet. 

"  Well,  Dick  was  as  full  of  arrows  as  a  porky- 
pine;  one  was  stickin'  right  through  his  cheek,  one 
in  his  meat-bag,  and  two  more  'bout  his  hump- 
ribs.  I  tuk  'em  all  out  slick,  and  away  we  goes 
to  camp,  and  carryin'  the  goat  too.  *  Injuns  I 
Injuns!  '  was  what  the  greenhorns  yelled;  *  we'll 
be  tackled  tonight,  that's  sartini'  'Tackled  be 
damned !  '  says  I ;  '  ain't  we  men  too,  and  white 
at  that?' 

"  Well,  as  soon  as  the  animals  was  unpacked, 
the  guvner  sends  out  a  strong  guard,  seven  boys, 
and  old  hands  at  that.  It  was  pretty  nigh  on 
sundown.  The  boys  was  drivin'  in  the  animals, 
when,  howgh-owgh-owgh'Owgh  we  hears  right  be- 
hind the  bluffs;  and  'bout  a  minute  and  a  crowd  of 
Injuns  gallops  down  on  the  animals.  Waghl 
W^arn't  thar  hoopin' 1  We  jumps  for  the  guns, 
but  before  we  got  to  the  fires,  the  Injuns  was 
among  the  herd.  I  saw  Ned  Collyer  and  his 
brother,  who  was  in  the  hoss-guard,  let  drive  at 


The  Battle  51 

'em;  but  twenty  Pawnees  was  round  'em  before 
the  smoke  cleared  from  their  guns;  and  when  the 
crowd  broke,  the  two  boys  was  on  the  ground  and 
their  hair  gone.  Thar  war  an  Englishman  that 
just  saved  the  herd.  He  had  his  mare,  a  reg'lar 
buffler-runner,  picketed  right  handy,  and  as  soon 
as  he  sees  the  fix,  he  jumps  on  her  and  rides  right 
into  the  thick  of  the  mules,  and  passes  through 
'em  firin'  his  two-shot  gun  at  the  Injuns;  and  by 
gor  he  made  two  come.  The  mules,  which  was 
snortin'  with  funk  and  runnin'  before  the  Injuns, 
as  soon  as  they  see  the  Englishman's  mare,  fol- 
lowed her  right  back  into  the  corral,  and  thar 
they  was  safe.  Fifty  Pawnees  came  screechin' 
after  'em,  but  we  was  ready  that  time,  and  the 
way  we  throwed  'em  was  something  handsome. 
But  three  of  the  boss-guards  got  skeered  —  least- 
wise their  mules  did,  and  carried  'em  off  into  the 
perairy,  and  the  Injuns  dashed  after  'em.  Them 
pore  devils  looked  back,  miserable  now,  I  tell  ye, 
with  about  a  hundred  red  varmints  tearin'  after 
their  hair,  and  hoopin'  like  mad.  Young  Jem 
Belcher  was  the  last;  and  when  he  seed  it  was  no 
use,  and  his  time  was  nigh,  he  throwed  himself 
off  his  mule,  and  standin'  as  straight  as  a  hickory 
wipin'  stick,  he  waves  his  hand  to  us,  and  blazes 
away  at  the  first  Injun  as  come  up,  and  drops  him 
slick;  but  the  next  moment,  you  may  guess,  he 
died.  We  couldn't  do  nothin',  for  before  our 
guns  was  loaded,  all  three  was  dead  and  their  hair 


52  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

was  gone.  Five  of  our  boys  got  rubbed  out  that 
time,  and  seven  Injuns  lay  wolf's  meat,  while  a 
many  more  went  off  gut-shot,  I'll  lay!  Howso- 
ever, five  of  us  went  under,  and  the  Pawnees  made 
a  raise  of  a  dozen  mules.     Wagh!" 

A  low,  incessant  rumbling,  punctuated  by  an  oc- 
casional earth-shaking  bump  far  off  in  the  dark 
Northwest  now  overlaid  and  dimmed  the  droning 
of  the  bugs.  Coyotes  yammered  from  the  bluffs, 
and  now  and  then  Ree  dogs  answered,  howling. 

"  I'll  say  as  how  we  are  in  for  a  right  smart 
storm  of  rain  and  thunder,"  remarked  old  Glass, 
arising  and  peering  in  the  direction  from  whence 
a  faint  breath  of  wind  had  sprung  out  of  a  rising 
wall  of  murk  that  was  slowly  blotting  out  the 
stars.  But  the  old-timer  was  in  a  mood  for  more 
yarning.  '^  Yes,  sir!  "  he  was  saying.  "  I  went 
out  that  time  old  Jim  lost  his  animals.  A  hun- 
dred and  forty  mules  froze  that  night,  wagh! 
Old  Bill  Laforey  was  thar;  and  the  cussedest  liar 
was  Bill —  for  lies  tumbled  out  of  his  mouth  like 
boudins  out  of  a  buffler's  stomach.  He  was  the 
child  as  saw  the  putrefied  forest!  I  mind  when 
Bill  come  in  to  St.  Louis  once;  and  one  day  he  was 
fixed  up  like  a  dandy  and  a-settin'  in  the  tavern 
when  a  lady  says  to  him:  *  Well,  Mister  La- 
forey,' she  says;  '  I  hear  as  how  you're  a  great 
trav'ler.' 

**  *  Trav'ler,   marm,'   says  Bill;   'this  nigger's 


The  Battle  53 

no  traveler.  I  are  a  trapper,  marm,  a  mountain- 
man,  wagh ! ' 

*'  '  Well,  Mister  Laforey,'  says  the  lady,  '  trap- 
pers is  great  trav'Iers,  and  you  goes  over  a  sight 
of  ground  in  your  perishinations,  I'll  be  bound  to 
say!  ' 

"  *  A  sight,  marm,  this  coon's  gone  over,'  says 
Bill,  '  if  that's  the  way  your  stick  floats.  I've 
trapped  beaver  on  Arkansaw  and  away  up  on 
Yallerstone.  I've  fout  the  Blackfeet;  I've  raised 
the  hair  of  more'n  one  Apach',  and  made  a 
'Rapaho  come  afore  now.  And  scalp  my  old 
head,  marm,  but  I've  seed  a  putrefied  forest,'  says 
Bill. 

"  *  La,  Mister  Laforey — a  what?'  says  the 
lady. 

"  '  A  putrefied  forest,  marm,'  says  Bill,  *  as 
sure  as  my  rifle's  got  hind  sights!  One  day  we 
crossed  a  canyon  and  over  a  divide  and  got  into 
a  perairy  whar  was  green  grass,  and  green  trees, 
and  green  leaves  on  the  trees,  and  birds  singin' 
in  the  green  leaves,  and  this  in  Febr'ary,  wagh  I 
Our  animals  was  like  to  die  when  they  see  the 
green  grass,  and  we  all  sung  out,  Hurraw  for 
summer  doin's !  And  I  jest  ups  old  Ginger  at  one 
of  them  singin'  birds,  and  down  come  the  crittur 
elegant,  its  head  spinnin'  away  from  the  body, 
but  never  stops  singin'.  I  finds  it  was  stone, 
wagh!     And  old  Rube,  what  was  with  us,  ups 


54  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

with  his  ax  and  lets  drive  at  a  cottonwood. 
Schruk'k'k/  goes  the  ax  agin  the  tree,  and  out 
comes  a  bit  of  the  blade  as  big  as  my  hand.  We 
looks  at  the  animals,  and  thar  they  stood  shakin* 
over  the  grass,  which  I'm  dog-gone  if  it  warn't 
stone  too.  And  a  feller  as  knowed  everything 
came  up  and  he  scrapes  the  trees  with  his  butcher 
knife,  and  snaps  the  grass  like  pipe  stems,  and 
breaks  the  leaves  like  shells.  He  said  it  was  pu- 
trefactions !  ' 

"  '  La,  Mister  Laforey,'  says  the  lady;  *  did  the 
leaves  and  grass  smell  bad?  ' 

"  *  Smell  bad,  marm?  '  says  Bill;  *  would  a  pole- 
cat as  was  froze  to  stone  smell  bad?  If  it  warn't 
a  putrefied  perairy,  marm,  then  this  boss  don't 
know  fat  cow  from  poor  bull,  nohow!  ' 

"  Well,"  resumed  the  old-timer,  when  the  roar 
of  laughter  had  subsided,  "  Old  Bill  Laforey  is 
gone  under  now.  Went  trappin'  with  a  French- 
man who  shot  him  for  his  bacca  and  traps.  And 
that  reminds  me.  Has  any  of  you'ns  got  any 
bacca?     This  beaver  feels  like  chawin'." 

A  sudden  gust  of  cool  wind  sent  the  embers 
scurrying  and  made  the  tent  poles  creak.  The 
drums  in  the  upper  village  no  longer  boomed,  and 
the  singing  voices  were  stilled.  Even  the  coyotes 
had  ceased  to  cry.  But  as  the  men  peered  to 
windward  into  the  murk  where  sheet  lightning 
leaped  fitfully,  they  heard  but  a  little  way  up  the 
valley  the  roaring  of  wind-embattled  trees  and 


The  Battle  55 

thci  many-footed    tumult   of   the    charging   rain. 

?  arcely  had  the  tent-pins  been  secured  to  wind- 
ward and  the  horse  guards  taken  their  allotted 
stations  about  the  excited  herd,  when  the  storm 
broke.  For  hours  It  raged,  and  whoever  peeped 
through  a  tent  flap  Into  the  leaping  flare  of  the 
lightning,  saw  the  world  as  a  freshly  painted 
monotone  smeared  and  blurred  by  the  sweep  of 
some  huge  brush  dipped  In  electric  blue. 

Lulled  by  the  monotonous  uproar  of  the  storm, 
the  camp  slept  at  last,  unconscious  of  a  sinister 
activity  in  the  villages.  Shortly  before  the  tem- 
pest struck,  Edward  Rose,  who  had  been  mingling 
with  the  dancers  at  the  dog-feast  in  the  upper 
town,  had  stolen  away  from  the  revellers  and, 
putting  off  In  a  canoe,  paddled  out  to  the  keelboat 
Yellowstone,  Taking  Ashley  aside,  he  had  ex- 
pressed doubts  as  to  the  good  Intentions  of  the 
Rees.  What  made  him  doubt?  No  more  than 
a  feeling  he  had  that  something  was  going  wrong. 
Ashley,  doubting  Rose  more  than  the  Rees,  had 
gone  to  bed  httle  troubled. 

About  midnight  the  fury  of  the  storm  ceased, 
but  the  heavy  downpour  continued  through  the 
pitch-black  hours.  At  half  past  three  a  dripping 
horse-guard,  with  bad  news  to  tell,  awoke  Gen- 
eral Ashley.  Aaron  Stephens  had  been  killed  In 
the  upper  village,  and  it  seemed  probable  that  the 
Rees  might  begin  an  attack  on  the  boats  and  the 
camp   at   any  moment.     The   General   sent   the 


§6  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

guard  back  to  arouse  the  men  on  shore,  and  s  ion 
both  parties  with  their  rifles  in  readiness,  t^  ere 
peering  anxiously  into  the  black  drench;  and  the 
dread  was  the  greater  In  that  nothing  was  visible. 
Time  seemed  to  have  grown  sluggish  with  the  rain 
chill  and  the  drowse  of  the  wee  hours.  It  was  the 
time  when  courage  Is  at  Its  lowest  ebb,  and  the 
unresolved  sighing  of  the|i5?<'.1  was  like  a  doleful 
prophecy  to  many  a  youtij^ho  now  for  the  first 
time  looked  forward  to  battle.  Slowly  the  min- 
utes crawled  dawnward.  The  droning  of  the  rain 
lessened  like  the  sound  of  a  huge  revolving  wheel 
losing  speed.  By  and  by  the  blackness  began  to 
dissolve  into  melancholy  drab,  and  the  lodges  of 
the  Ree  loomed  ominously  In  the  drizzle. 

Tediously  the  fading  of  the  dark  went  on. 
The  line  of  pickets  surrounding  the  village  was 
now  visible.  Nothing  seemed  to  be  moving 
there.  Would  anything  happen  after  all?  A 
sense  of  relief  spread  through  the  camp  on  shore. 
The  men  ventured  to  talk  now,  for  the  rain  had 
ceased,  and  the  familiar  world  was  coming  back 
with  the  slow  light.  Peacefully  the  dusky  boats 
swung  at  anchor  In  mid-stream.  The  horses 
stood  quietly,  huddled  together  with  drooping 
necks  and  steaming  hides.  Soon  the  clouds  would 
break,  the  sun  would  rise,  the  westward  journey 
would  begin,  and  laughter  would  be  the  end  of  the 
night's  anxiety. 

The  crack  of  a  rifle  and  a  spurt  of  smoke  from  a 


The  Battle  57 

central  point  in  the  line  of  pickets  brought  the  men 
to  their  feet.  A  horse  screamed  and  floundered 
in  the  sand,  and  the  herd  whinnied  and  milled. 
Then  suddenly  the  whole  length  of  the  Indian 
stockade  roared  into  smoke,  and  simultaneously 
the  wet  beach  spurted  jets  of  sand.  More  horses 
went  down  screaming,  and  the  hobbled  herd 
plunged  and  jostled  '^     Messly. 

Ben  Sneed,  Tully  Piper  and  Reed  Gibson  were 
down,  the  latter  struggling  to  get  up,  the  two 
others  lying  very  still.  General  Ashley's  lack  of 
judgment  in  placing  the  horses  and  the  overland 
party  on  the  beach  was  now  painfully  apparent; 
for  no  way  of  retreat  was  open  except  toward 
the  river.  In  the  disorder  that  followed  the  first 
sweeping  volley  of  the  Rees,  it  was,  curiously 
enough,  not  one  of  the  old-timers  who  strove  to 
draw  the  panicky  men  into  some  plan  of  action, 
but  one  of  the  youngest  of  the  band,  one  who  had 
never  before  heard  the  snarl  of  hostile  bullets  — 
Jedediah  Smith.  With  the  quiet  courage  and 
practical  good  sense  that  were  to  characterize  his 
short  but  brilliant  career,  Jed  turned  his  attention 
to  the  horses.  He  saw  that  the  enemy  was  bent 
upon  wiping  out  the  herd,  and  even  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  attack  he  realized  to  the  full  the 
meaning  of  such  a  loss,  both  to  the  embattled 
party  and  to  Henry  far  away  on  the  Yellowstone. 
Calling  John  Matthews,  John  Collins,  and  Jim 
Daniels  to  aid  him,  he  coolly  set  about  the  task 


58  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

of  cutting  the  hobbles  of  the  horses,  Intent  upon 
driving  them  Into  the  stream  and  forcing  them 
to  swim  across  to  safety. 

By  this  time  the  attack  had  settled  down  to  a 
brisk  running  fire  up  and  down  the  whole  line  of 
pickets  and  from  the  adjoining  shelter  of  tumbled 
sand  banks.  The  Rees  were  armed  with  London 
fusils,  furnished  by  British  traders  from  the 
North,  and  it  was  Ashley's  own  powder  and  lead 
that  now  worked  havoc  with  his  plans.  A  great 
portion  of  the  firing  was  being  concentrated  upon 
the  animals,  and  many  were  going  down.  Some, 
feeling  themselves  free  of  the  hobbles,  raced 
neighing  down  the  beach  until  a  raking  volley 
rolled  them.  Some  few  ran  the  gauntlet  of  the 
pickets  unhurt,  and  disappeared  In  the  brush. 
When  the  three  men  whom  he  had  summoned  to 
his  aid  had  been  shot  down.  Smith  gave  up  the  at- 
tempt and  joined  in  the  battle. 

Joe  Gardner  was  dead,  and  David  Howard  and 
George  Flagler  would  never  see  St.  Louis  again. 
Anger  at  the  sight  of  their  comrades  falling  about 
them  had  served  to  steady  the  band,  and  all  now 
were  fighting  like  veterans.  Thilless,  the  black 
man,  with  a  bullet  hole  through  both  legs,  was 
busy  loading  and  firing  from  a  sitting  position, 
cheerily  announcing  to  his  comrades  now  and  then : 
''  They  ain't  killed  this  niggah  yet  I  "  Old  Hugh 
Glass,  bleeding  from  a  hip-wound,  was  plying  the 
warrior's  trade  In  a  cool,  methodical  manner,  al- 


The  Battle  59 

wayg  watching  for  an  Indian's  head  to  appear 
above  the  pickets  or  the  patch  of  broken  ground 
before  he  pressed  the  trigger.  In  much  the  same 
leisurely  manner,  the  old-timer,  who  had  survived 
many  a  scrimmage,  went  about  the  business  of  kill- 
ing, now  and  then  giving  vent  to  his  satisfaction 
with  an  Arapahoe  war-whoop. 

It  was  a  gallant  standup  fight,  but  it  was  hope- 
less from  the  first.  Even  when  Ashley  managed 
to  put  the  skiffs  ashore  in  spite  of  the  shower  of 
bullets  that  whipped  the  river,  only  seven  of  the 
party  on  the  beach  —  two  of  those  being  seriously 
wounded  —  were  willing  to  accept  this  means  of 
escape.  They  had  seen  their  comrades  slain  and 
their  horses  slaughtered.  Their  blood  was  up  — 
and  it  was  the  blood  of  Kentuckians  and  Vir- 
ginians and  Pennsylvanians.  Many  of  them  were 
for  storming  the  villages,  if  only  the  party  on  the 
boats  would  come  and  help.  But  the  party  on  the 
boats,  composed  largely  of  French  voyageurs,  had 
already  mutinied  at  Ashley's  command  to  move  in- 
shore. Only  with  great  difficulty  had  the  General 
been  able  to  induce  a  handful  of  the  more  cour- 
ageous to  land  with  the  skiffs.  Shortly  after  the 
skiffs  had  pulled  away,  the  shore  party  saw  the 
keelboats  dropping  down  stream  and  out  of  the 
fight.  Deserted  by  their  comrades,  with  half 
their  number  either  dead  or  wounded,  they  real- 
ized at  last  the  folly  of  further  resistance.  Leap- 
ing'into  the  river,  they  struck  out  after  the  boats. 


6o  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Some,  miscalculating  the  strength  of  the  current, 
were  swept  away  and  lost.  Some  of  the  wounded 
went  down  and  were  seen  no  more.  Several  were 
shot  as  they  swam,  and  disappeared. 

It  had  been  a  struggle  of  magnificent  courage 
against  an  alliance  of  treachery  and  cowardice; 
and  the  latter  had  won.  Many  of  the  youngsters, 
who  had  never  fought  before,  were  sobbing  with 
rage  and  shame  as,  drenched  and  bleeding,  they 
were  dragged  aboard  by  their  faithless  comrades. 


THE   EXPRESS   TO    HENRY 

IN  a  letter  written  two  days  after  the  battle  to 
Major  O'Fallon,  Indian  Agent  at  Fort  Atkin- 
son, Ashley  has  set  down  for  posterity  the  story  of 
his  woes.^  "  I  ordered  the  boats  landed  at  the 
first  timber  for  the  purpose  of  putting  the  men  and 
boats  in  a  better  situation  to  pass  the  villages  in 
safety,"  so  the  letter  continues  after  giving  an  ac- 
count of  the  catastrophe.  "  When  my  intentions 
were  made  known,  to  my  surprise  and  mortifica- 
tion, I  was  told  by  the  men  (with  but  few  excep- 
tions) that  under  no  circumstances  would  they 
make  a  second  attempt  to  pass  without  a  large  re- 
inforcement. Finding  that  no  arguments  that  I 
could  use  would  cause  them  to  change  their  reso- 
lution, I  commenced  making  arrangements  for  the 
security  of  my  property.  The  men  proposed  that 
if  I  would  descend  the  river  to  this  place  (near 
the  mouth  of  the  Moreau  River),  fortify  the 
boats,  or  make  any  other  defense  for  their  secur- 
ity, they  would  remain  with  me  until  I  could  re- 
ceive aid  from  Major  Henry,  or  from  some  other 
quarter.  I  was  compelled  to  agree  to  the  propo- 
sition.    On  my   arrival   here,   I   found   them   as 

1"  South  Dakota  Historical  Collections."     Vol.  I. 
6i 


62  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

much  determined  to  go  lower.  A  resolution  has 
been  formed  by  the  most  of  them  to  desert.  I 
called  for  volunteers  to  remain  with  me  under  any 
circumstances  until  I  should  receive  the  expected 
aid.  Thirty  only  volunteered.  Among  them 
were  few  boatmen,  consequently  I  am  compelled 
to  send  one  boat  back.  After  taking  a  part  of 
her  cargo  on  board  this  boat  {Yellowstone 
Packet),  the  balance  will  be  stored  at  the  first 
fort  below."  The  rest  of  the  letter  Is  concerned 
with  the  hope  that  government  forces  may  be 
sent  "to  make  these  people  (the  Rees)  account 
for  the  outrage  committed." 

We  may  Imagine  that  It  was  a  sullen  and  crest- 
fallen party  that  landed  "  at  the  first  timber " 
below  the  scene  of  disaster;  and  that  nearly  all  re- 
fused to  make  an  Immediate  attempt  to  pass  the 
Ree  towns  Is  not  strange.  Those  who  had  fought 
on  shore  had  seen  just  how  far  their  comrades 
could  be  trusted  for  support;  and  though  Ash- 
ley's courage  could  not  be  questioned,  his  con- 
spicuous lack  of  generalship  .vas  scarcely  calcu- 
lated to  fill  his  men  with  confidence. 

While  the  boats  were  lying  ashore  at  the  first 
timber,  a  funeral  service  was  held  on  board  the 
keelboat  Yellowstone  for  one  John  Gardner,  who 
died  of  wounds  shortly  after  the  battle.  We  have 
old  Hugh  Glass's  word  for  it,  in  a  quaint  letter 
dispatched  by  him  to  the  dead  boy's  relatives,  that 
"  Mr.  Smith,  a  young  man  of  our  company,  made 


The  Express  to  Henry  63 

a  powerful  prayr  wh  moved  us  all  greatly,  and 
I  am  persuaded  John  died  In  peace."  ^ 

When  the  party  refused  to  brave  the  Rees 
again,  Ashley  decided  to  sumrnQa Majoi_ Henry  to 
his  aid..  But  the  distance  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone  was  close  upon  two  hundred  miles  as 
the  crow  flies;  and  considering  the  warlike  mood 
of  the  Indian  tribes  at  that  time,  the  journey 
would  be  extremely  hazardous.  Who,  in  the 
present  mood  of  defeat  that  had  settled  upon  the 
party,  would  venture  upon  such  a  mission?  Lin- 
ing up  his  men,  Ashley  stated  the  case  and  made 
an  appeal  for  volunteers.  Only  one  man  stepped 
out  of  the  line.  It  was  Jedediah  Smith.  Many 
wondered  at  this,  and  especially  the  old-timers. 
A  young  man  who  prayed  like  a  parson  and  was 
more  daring  than  the  tough  old  mountain  men ! 
According  to  their  experience.  It  didn't  appear 
reasonable;  and  yet  it  was  so! 

Notwithstanding  Jed's  expressed  willingness  to 
set  forth  without  human  companionship,  Ashley 
insisted  that  the  young  man  should  not  go  alone, 
and  finally  succeeded  in  Inducing  one  Baptiste,  a 
French-Canadian  trapper,  to  undertake  the  jour- 
ney. Several  of  the  horses  that  had  managed  to 
escape  unwounded  were  found  grazing  in  the  tim- 
ber that  fringed  the  river;  and  these  having  been 
caught  with  little  difficulty,  preparations  were 
made  for  the  perilous  cross-country  ride. 

1"  South  Dakota  Historical  Collections."     Vol.  I. 


64  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

When  the  dark  had  fallen,  the  two  men,  each 
armed  with  a  rifle,  a  pistol,  and  a  hunting  knife, 
mounted  and  rode  westward  out  of  the  wood. 
Crossing  the  bottom  and  ascending  a  low  range  of 
bluffs,  they  saw  behind  them  the  broad  glooming 
valley,  mysterious  under  the  stars,  and  the  glim- 
mering strip  that  was  the  river.  Far  away  in 
front,  where  the  sky  still  held  a  pale  reminder  of 
the  way  the  sun  had  gone,  the  prairie  was  a  billow- 
ing dusk,  the  higher  ridges  looming  vaguely  in 
the  wash  of  the  starshine  —  vast  distances,  rather 
felt  than  seen. 

Spurring  their  tough  little  horses  into  a  jog  trot, 
and  keeping  the  North  Star  above  their  right 
shoulders,  Jed  and  the  Frenchman  forged  on  into 
an  unknown  land,  heading  for  the  Yellowstone 
that  was  somewhere  out  yonder  beyond  the  rim  of 
the  night.  Wolves  howled  occasionally  from  the 
hill  tops  and  the  prairie  owls  raised  their  voices 
in  the  joyless,  unearthly  laughter  that  they  know. 
Slowly  the  hours  dragged  on,  and  the  men,  riding 
silently  knee  to  knee,  had  little  sense  of  progress 
save  when  creek  or  coulee  had  to  be  crossed.  The 
'Dipper,  which  is  the  time-piece  of  the  heavens, 
seemed  at  times  to  have  stuck  on  the  upward  swing 
about  the  Pole;  yet  suddenly  it  was  up,  and  after 
that  the  increasing  drowsiness,  against  which  the 
riders  struggled,  gave  speed  to  the  starry  clock. 
Thrice  the  Frenchman  nodded,  and  thrice  the 
swinging  dipper  leaped   ahead   for   him.     Nod- 


Courtesy  of   Prof  S.   II.   Knight,   University  of  Wyoming 

Mouth  of  the  Sweetwater,  where  Fitzpatrick  Was  Wrecked 


The  Express  to  Henry  65 

ding  again,  he  raised  his  face  to  the  sky  and  saw 
that  the  gloom  was  fading  out  in  the  vast  hollow. 
Far  across  the  rolling  prairie  to  the  rear  a  faint 
streak  of  light  was  visible.  The  stars  were  burn- 
ing low,  and  the  landscape  was  beginning  to  lift 
out  of  the  dusk.  To  their  right,  about  a  mile  dis- 
tant, a  strip  of  timber  marked  the  course  of  the 
Grand  River,  and  riding  thither  they  descended 
into  the  valley  and  camped  near  the  water  where 
a  patch  of  lush  grass  grew.  Here,  while  the 
weary  horses,  tied  to  convenient  bullberry  bushes, 
fed  contentedly,  Jed  and  Baptiste  ate  a  scanty 
breakfast  and  lay  down  to  rest. 

The  reaction  from  the  tense  experience  of  the 
previous  morning,  together  with  the  fatigue  of  the 
long  night  ride,  soon  sent  them  into  a  sound  sleep. 
After  what  seemed  no  more  than  a  few  minutes, 
Jed,  startled  by  a  shrill  neighing,  leaped  up,  ex- 
pecting to  see  the  long  line  of  pickets  spouting 
smoke  and  a  kicking  tangle  of  wounded  horses  on 
the  beach.  Baptiste  was  also  up,  clutching  his 
rifle  and  blinking  at  the  peaceful  valley  in  momen- 
tary bewilderment.  In  the  mind  of  one  rudely 
awakened  from  deep  sleep,  much  may  happen  in 
the  first  wild  instants  of  returning  consciousness. 
Glancing  at  the  stream,  Jed  marvelled  to  see  it 
flowing  backwards !  In  the  morning  it  should  be 
flowing  toward  the  sun,  and  now  it  was  most  cer- 
tainly flowing  away  from  the  morning  that  was 
no  more  than  a  half  hour  old.     Then  he  knew  that 


i 


66  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

they  had  slept  all  day  and  that  the  sun  was  near  to      I 
setting.     Again  the  horses  neighed,  pricking  their 
ears  and  gazing  down  stream  with  heads  held  high 
and  tails  up.     A  faint  answer,  as  of  many  horses 
whinnying  together,  came  back. 

Jed  and  Baptiste,  now  broad  awake,  saw  a  band 
of  mounted  Indian  warriors  filing  diagonally  down 
the  flank  of  the  bluff  into  the  valley  no  more  than 
half  a  mile  to  the  east.  There  seemed  to  be  at 
least  twenty-five  in  the  band,  and  it  was  plain  now 
that  the  white  men  had  been  discovered,  for  after 
a  moment  of  agitation,  the  party  separated,  some 
dashing  on  down  into  the  valley  and  out  of  sight 
among  the  trees,  others  hurrying  back  to  the  open 
prairie  from  whence  they  had  just  come. 

Fortunately,  Jed  and  Baptiste  had  not  unsad- 
dled. They  had  intended  to  rest  only  long 
enough  for  the  horses  to  feed,  wishing  to  put  as 
much  space  as  possible  between  them  and  the  Rees 
before  they  ventured  on  a  good  sound  sleep.  In  a 
few  moments  they  had  mounted  and  were  plung- 
ing down  the  valley  in  and  out  among  the  plum 
thickets  and  the  bullberry  clumps.  Now  a  steep 
bluff,  closing  in  to  the  water's  edge,  forced  them 
to  ford  the  stream;  now  for  a  few  hundred  yards 
they  found  good  footing  and  made  the  most  of  it; 
now  again  they  were  crashing  through  brush  into 
another  open  space.  They  knew  that  the  chances 
favored  them,  for  their  own  horses  were  fresh 
after  a  long  day  of  grazing,  and  doubtless  their 


The  Express  to  Henry  67 

pursuers  had  been  riding  since  daybreak.  If  they 
were  able  to  gain  only  slightly  during  the  few  re- 
maining hours  of  light,  their  chances  for  escaping 
in  the  dark  would  be  good. 

The  sun  set,  the  twilight  deepened,  the  stars 
came  out.  Reining  their  lathered  and  winded 
horses  to  a  stand,  they  listened  and  heard  only  the 
sighing  of  a  light  breeze  from  the  west.  Never- 
theless, if  the  Indians  had  persisted  in  the  pursuit, 
which  seemed  likely,  they  could  not  be  more  than 
three  or  four  miles  behind.  To  ascend  the  slop- 
ing bluffs  to  the  right  and  take  the  open  prairie 
might  bring  the  white  men  into  contact  with  the 
party  that  had  turned  back  to  the  highland.  The 
bluffs  to  the  left  were  precipitous,  and  to  seek  for 
a  way  out  in  that  direction  would  involve  much 
loss  of  time.  Riding  on  down  the  valley  at  a 
walk,  the  two  men  were  discussing  the  situation 
when  Baptiste  abruptly  checked  his  horse  and 
sniffed  the  air. 

*' Nom  de  Dieuf '^  he  whispered;  "It  ees 
smoke  !     Rees,  maybe.     What  we  do  now?  " 

Jed  had  also  caught  the  smell  of  smouldering 
wood.  "  Stay  here  with  the  horses,"  said  he, 
*'  and  wait  till  I  come  back."  Pushing  cautiously 
through  a  wild-cherry  thicket  and  rounding  the 
base  of  a  bluff  that  jutted  into  the  valley,  he  saw, 
about  a  hundred  yards  ahead,  the  black  mass  of  a 
cluster  of  cottonwoods  splashed  with  the  glow  of 
a  dying  fire.     The  light  appeared  to  come  from 


68  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

one  point;  and  If  this  were  true,  the  party  camping 
there  was  probably  small,  for  the  great  storm  had 
brought  a  cold  wave  and  the  night  air  was  uncom- 
fortably chill. 

Jed  began  to  crawl  toward  the  glow,  feeling 
ahead  of  him  as  he  went  and  carefully  removing 
any  sticks  that  lay  In  his  path,  lest  the  snapping  of 
one  might  arouse  those  about  the  fire.  By  and 
by,  peering  through  a  screen  of  brush,  he  saw  the 
camp.  At  first  glance,  there  seemed  to  be  only 
one  man  —  unmistakably  a  Ree.  He  was  sitting 
cross-legged  before  a  small  heap  of  glowing  em- 
bers, and  he  was  evidently  very  sleepy,  for  his  chin 
rested  on  his  breast.  But  when  Jed's  eyes  became 
adjusted  to  the  glow,  he  saw  that  the  man  was  not 
alone.  Two  other  warriors,  apparently  sound 
asleep,  lay  sprawled  upon  the  grass  with  their  feet 
to  the  fire,  their  bodies  looming  dim  in  the  shad- 
ows. Three  black  bulks  —  horses,  by  the  sound 
of  nipping  and  blowing  that  came  from  them  — 
were  barely  visible  in  the  deeper  gloom  of  the  cot- 
tonwoods. 

"  The  villages  are  probably  short  of  meat,** 
thought  Jed,  "  and  this  is  a  scouting  party  that 
has  been  looking  for  buffalo  and  is  now  wait- 
ing for  the  main  body  of  hunters." 

Jed  crawled  back  to  the  waiting  Frenchman  and 
reported  what  he  had  seen.  '*  It's  the  safest  way 
out,  Baptiste,"  he  said.  **  Our  horses  are  a  bit 
weary,  and  the  Rces  owe  us  many." 


The  Express  to  Henry  69 

"  Scalps  too !  "  whispered  the  Frenchman,  evi- 
dently gloating  over  the  prospect  for  avenging  the 
death  of  his  comrades  in  the  battle  on  the  beach. 

Having  agreed  upon  the  plan  of  attack,  they 
tied  their  horses  and  started,  walking  until  they 
had  rounded  the  jutting  bluff.  Here  they  cocked 
their  rifles  and  began  to  crawl,  Jed  leading  and 
carefully  clearing  the  way  as  before.  Soon  they 
were  peering  through  the  brush  within  twenty 
yards  of  the  camp.  The  man  by  the  fire  had  not 
moved. 

"  Ready,"  whispered  Jed.  At  the  roar  of  his 
gun,  the  man  who  had  been  sitting,  leaped  up  with 
a  wild  yell,  staggered,  and  fell  across  the  embers. 
Simultaneously  the  two  shadowy  sleepers  scram- 
bled to  their  feet,  and  at  the  sound  of  Baptiste's 
rifle,  one  went  down.  The  other  had  seized  his 
gun,  but  with  a  warwhoop  from  the  Frenchman 
the  white  men  broke  from  cover  with  drawn  pis- 
tols. 

"  Examine  the  horses,  Baptiste,''  said  Jed  when 
the  brief  affair  was  over;  "  and  choose  the  two 
best,  while  I  fetch  ours." 

When,  after  a  few  minutes,  Jed  emerged  from 
the  dark,  leading  the  fagged  animals,  he  found  the 
Frenchman  wiping  three  dripping  scalps  on  the 
grass. 

"  It's  bad  enough  to  be  forced  to  kill,"  said 
Smith,  *'  but  this  is  a  heathen  practice !  " 

''  Enfant  de  Gdrce!  ''  exclaimed  Baptiste,  whose 


70  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

experience  among  the  wild  tribes  of  the  North  had 
developed  the  latent  savagery  that  is  in  most  men; 
''  c'est  la  guerre!  Mot,  je  suis  mountain  man  I 
By  and  by  you  mountain  man  too ;  then  —  wagh  1  " 
He  finished  with  a  sweep  of  his  reeking  knife 
about  his  left  fist  by  way  of  indicating  the  war* 
rior's  rite  of  "  lifting  hair  ";  and  with  a  chuckle 
of  satisfaction  tucked  the  hideous  souvenirs  un- 
der his  belt  and  wiped  his  hands  on  his  buckskin 
trousers. 

Hurriedly  now  they  shifted  their  saddles  to  the 
taller  and  rangier  horses  of  their  fallen  foes,  leav- 
ing the  third  horse  tied  as  they  had  found  him; 
and  half  the  night,  as  they  pushed  rapidly  west- 
ward, they  heard  their  own  discarded  animals, 
weary  with  the  recent  flight,  neighing  and  floun- 
dering through  the  brush  in  the  rear.  Then  the 
sounds  ceased.  When  day  broke,  the  riders  ven- 
tured to  ascend  the  bluffs  by  way  of  a  winding 
gully,  and  halting  on  a  summit  that  commanded  a 
view  of  the  river  and  prairie  for  many  miles,  they 
saw  no  living  thing  but  a  wolf  loping  along  a  dis- 
tant ridge  and  a  flock  of  crows  hunting  for  a  feast. 

They  camped  in  a  bullberry  thicket,  staked  their 
horses  out  to  graze,  and  spent  the  day  resting, 
each  taking  his  turn  on  guard  while  the. other  slept. 
When  the  valley  began  to  fill  with  blue  shadows, 
they  set  out  again,  following  the  stream.  It  was 
not  yet  midnight  by  the  Dipper  when  they  reached 
the  place  where  the  river  forks;  and  being  uncer- 


The  Express  to  Henry  71 

tain  as  to  which  branch  would  be  the  better,  they 
struck  out  across  the  open  prairie  on  what  they 
judged  to  be  the  shortest  route  to  the  Yellow- 
stone. 

Guided  by  the  North  Star,  they  made  good 
progress  for  several  hours,  when  the  sky  became 
overcast.  Still  they  pushed  on,  trusting  to  luck 
and  to  the  sense  of  direction  they  still  felt.  But 
steadily  the  night  grew  blacker,  and  by  and  by  a 
drizzling  rain  began  to  fall.  It  soon  increased  to 
a  sodden,  passionless  downpour.  Suddenly  Jed 
became  aware  that,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned, 
there  were  but  three  directions  —  out  and  up  and 
down! 

"  No  use  going  on,  Baptiste,"  he  said;  "  for  we 
might  find  ourselves  back  at  the  forks  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

They  staked  their  horses,  and,  sitting  huddled 
together  with  their  blankets  over  their  heads, 
waited  for  the  morning.  It  came  at  last  —  an 
ooze  of  drab  light  through  the  drifting  rain. 
With  heads  and  tails  drooping  and  dripping,  feet 
drawn  together,  the  chilled  horses  presented  a 
spectacle  of  misery.  The  emerging  landscape 
would  have  been  dismal  enough  in  the  sunlight, 
but  now  it  was  disheartening.  The  valley  back 
yonder  had  been  fat  with  the  vigorous  young  sum- 
mer; here  only  bunch  grass  grew,  and  no  brush 
was  in  sight  as  far  as  they  could  see  to  where  the 
descending  curtains  of  the  rain  shut  out  the  world. 


72  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

A  fire  was  out  of  the  question.  Chilled  with  the 
night's  long  drenching,  they  mounted  and  rode 
away  at  a  jog  trot,  with  their  backs  to  the  drowned 
dawn,  while  Baptlste  muttered  weird  French  oaths 
in  his  streaming  whiskers. 

After  hours  they  found  themselves  in  a  gumbo 
plain  from  whence,  at  Intervals,  grotesquely 
carven  buttes  soared  flat-topped  Into  the  soppy 
haze.  They  were  obliged  to  proceed  at  a  walk 
now,  for  the  earth  was  spongy  and  the  hoofs  of 
the  horses  popped  and  sucked  as  they  floundered 
on.  No  wood  all  that  day;  and  when  the  dark 
came  on,  once  more  the  men  bivouacked  in  the 
mud  and  drench. 

The  rain  ceased  In  the  night  and  morning 
came  with  a  golden  sun  that  set  the  drear  land 
steaming.  Close  on  noon  they  topped  the  gully- 
torn  divide  between  the  feeders  of  the  Big  and 
Little  Missouri,  and  gazing  westward  they  saw 
afar  the  valley  of  the  latter  stream,  a  tangle  of 
ragged  gulches  and  rain-sculptured  buttes.  Dur- 
ing the  afternoon  Baptlste's  rifle  rolled  a  moun- 
tain sheep  from  a  butte  top,  and  that  evening 
they  feasted  by  the  Little  Missouri  where  a  plum 
thicket  furnished  fuel  and  a  patch  of  slough  grass 
offered  a  good  night's  grazing  for  the  animals. 

Up  and  off  at  the  first  light,  they  crossed  the 
river  at  the  expense  of  another  thorough  soak- 
ing, for  the  stream  was  swollen  with  the  recent 
rains;  and  when  the  horses  plunged  under  in  mid- 


The  Express  to  Henry  73 

current,  the  riders  were  forced  to  take  to  the 
water,  gripping  the  saddle  horn  with  one  hand. 
But  the  soaking  mattered  little  so  long  as  their 
screw-topped  horns  kept  their  powder  dry. 
After  hours  of  hard  going  in  torrent-carved 
gulches,  they  emerged  upon  a  lonesome  upland 
and  struck  out  northwest,  crossing  a  number  of 
creeks  during  the  day,  all  of  which  flowed  in  a 
northerly  direction;  and  they  knew  that  they  were 
now  within  the  drainage  area  of  the  Yellowstone 
River. 

On  the  second  day  from  the  crossing  of  the  Lit- 
tle Missouri  they  began  to  follow  the  rugged  val- 
ley of  a  small  stream  that  led  them  in  two  more 
days  into  the  valley  of  the  Yellowstone.  Game, 
grass,  and  wood  were  plentiful  now;  but  Indians 
might  also  be  plentiful,  for  the  Assiniboines,  who 
had  proven  themselves  unfriendly  to  Henry's 
party  the  year  before,  were  known  to  wander  over 
this  region  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Powder, 
where  Absaroka,  the  Country  of  the  Crows,  be- 
gan. Once  more  Jed  and  Baptiste  travelled  by 
night;  and  without  encountering  any  further  diffi- 
culties, they  came  in  the  white  dawn  of  the  third 
day  to  the  junction  of  the  two  great  rivers. 

An  hour  later,  the  gates  of  Henry's  fort  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Missouri,  four  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  swung  open  and  the 
two  horsemen,  bedraggled  with  their  recent  swim, 
rode  Into  the  enclosure  and  dismounted  amid  a 


74  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

throng  of  trappers  clamoring  for  news  frcm  Ash- 
ley. A  tall,  slender  man,  with  keen  gray-blue 
eyes  and  the  quiet,  confident  bearing  of  one  who  is 
born  to  command,  pushed  his  way  through  the 
gathering  of  eager  men;  and  for  the  first  time  Jed- 
ediah  Smith  and  Ma.jor  .Henry  m£t.  Together 
these  two  withdrew  to  one  of  the  larger  log  cabins 
of  the  post,  leaving  Baptiste  to  enlarge  and  embel- 
lish, in  the  picturesque  mongrel  tongue  of  the 
French  voyageur^  the  tale  of  the  battle  with  the 
Rees  and  the  long  cross-country  ride  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Grand.  — --r- 


VI 

THE   TWO   PARTIES    UNITE 

IT  was  Indeed  a  discouraging  situation  that 
Major  Henry  faced  that  day;  for  it  seemed 
that  his  business  venture  with  General  Ashley  had 
been  doomed  to  failure  from  the  very  beginning. 
The  series  of  misfortunes,  as  we  have  seen,  had 
begun  before  his  northbound  expedition  of  the 
preceding  spring  had  passed  beyond  the  limit  of 
the  States.  Near  Fort  Osage,  in  the  State  of 
Missouri,  a  keelboat  with  all  its  cargo  had  gone 
to  the  bottom  of  the  river.  Then,  on  the  last  lap 
of  the  arduous  journey  to  the  Yellowstone,  he  had 
lost  his  horses  to  the  Assiniboines.  Only  recently 
he  had  returned  from  his  defeat  by  the  Blackfeet, 
in  the  region  of  the  Great  Falls,  to  his  post  near 
the  junction  of  the  rivers,  determined  to  push  on 
again  as  soon  as  the  second  party  should  join  him. 
With  this  in  view  he  had  sent  an  express  to  Ashley 
with  the  news  of  his  urgent  need;  and  now  came 
these  riders  from  Ashley,  asking  help  of  one  who 
had  been  unable  to  help  himself!  Such  are  the 
occasional  ironies  of  circumstance  that  sometimes 
make  misfortune  seem  a  mysterious  and  malevo- 
lent personality. 

75 


76  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Henry  moved  with  characteristic  promptness. 
Leaving  twenty  of  his  men  in  possession  of  the 
post,  he  set  out  by  keelboat  next  morning  with  the 
balance  of  his  party.  Jed  and  Baptiste  went  with 
him. 

Of  all  the  primitive  modes  of  travel,  none  is 
more  delightful  than  down-stream  drifting  when 
the  June  floods  run;  and  now  the  distant  moun- 
tains were  feeding  the  river  with  their  melting 
snows.  When  the  winds  are  light  or  blow  astern, 
this  means  of  overcoming  distance  is  the  next  best 
thing  to  standing  on  a  magic  carpet  and  wishing 
the  miles  away.  A  great  calm  had  followed  the 
wide-sweeping  rains,  and  the  keelboat  kept  the 
boiling  current  like  a  conscious  being  well  aware  of 
its  trail.  Through  the  slow  lapse  of  the  June 
days  the  men  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  smoke  and 
tell  yarns. 

The  story  of  the  Blackfoot  battle  was  told  and 
retold  until  the  latest  version  was  scarcely  to  be 
regarded  as  a  collection  of  related  individual  ac- 
counts, but  rather  as  a  rudimentary  work  of  art 
whose  author  was  the  whole  group  consciousness. 
This  "  gentle  art  of  lying,"  the  alleged  passing  of 
which  was  once  eloquently  bemoaned  by  Oscar 
Wilde,  reached  a  high  degree  of  development 
among  the  wandering  bands  of  the  Early  West. 
But  "  lying  "  is  far  too  harsh  a  word;  rather  let 
us  call  it  the  process  of  finding  a  thread  of  reason 
running  through   the   apparent  unreasonableness 


The   Two  Parties  Unite  77 

of  circumstance;  of  making  beauty  by  the  simple 
means  of  shifting  the  relationship  between  facts 
that  in  themselves  appear  unbeautiful.  Thus  do 
men  seek  to  put  their  world  in  order  about  them, 
that  life  may  still  be  understandable  and  dear. 

And  there  was  another  story  that  Henry's  men 
did  not  weary  of  telling  from  many  angles  and 
with  many  sidelights  during  the  idle  days  of  drift- 
ing. Already  the  tale  had  taken  artistic  form  un- 
der the  manipulation  of  the  group  consciousness, 
though  it  had  not  yet  reached  the  final  rounded 
version  in  which  it  would  become  familiar 
throughout  the  wilderness  wherever  two  men 
might  share  the  warmth  of  smouldering  embers. 
It  was  the  story  of  Fink,  Carpenter  and  Talbeau.^ 
Only  recently  these  men  had  seen  its  climax;  yet 
already  it  was  charged  with  something  of  the  re- 
moteness and  the  mystery  of  doom. 

There  w^ere  those  who  remembered  the  old  days 
on  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  when  the  mutual 
love  of  the  three  boatmen  was  a  byword  in  all  the 
river  ports.  Fink  was  a  "  wild  Irishman,"  a  fa- 
mous joker  and  a  terrible  fighter,  with  the  body 
of  a  Hercules  and  a  face  that  suggested  a  bulldog. 
Men  laughed  freely  at  his  jokes  in  those  good  old 
days,  for  it  was  well  known  that  whoever  neg- 
lected to  laugh  must  be  prepared  for  instant  bat- 
tle. Carpenter  was  tall,  slenderly  but  powerfully 
built,  and  a  blond.     He  smiled  much,  talked  lit- 

1  The  Western  Monthly  Review.     Cincinnati,  1830.    Vol.  III. 


78  The  Splendid  JV  ay  faring 

tie,  and  fought  well  with  a  show  of  good  nature 
that  was  disconcerting.  Talbeau  was  a  small 
man,  but  one  who  had  once  seen  the  three  fight 
their  way  through  a  crowded  dance  hall  on  the 
lower  Mississippi,  spoke  highly  of  the  little  man's 
terrler-like  effectiveness  in  a  scrimmage.  Fink 
and  Carpenter  were  expert  marksmen,  and  often 
each  would  shoot  a  whisky  cup  from  the  other's 
head  at  a  distance  of  forty  yards  by  way  of  dem- 
onstrating both  their  skill  and  their  faith  In  each 
other. 

These  three  cronies  had  joined  Henry's  expedi- 
tion of  the  preceding  year,  and  had  spent  the  win- 
ter with  nine  other  men  among  the  Blood  Indians 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Musselshell.  There  Fink 
and  Carpenter  had  fallen  out  at  last  over  a  half- 
breed  girl,  and  had  come  to  blows  despite  the  des- 
perate efforts  of  Talbeau  to  pacify  them.  The 
fight  that  followed  was  stubborn  and  long,  but 
Carpenter  had  won,  owing  less  to  his  strength  and 
skill,  perhaps,  than  to  his  coolness.  Fink  was  not 
the  man  to  forgive,  and  he  had  never  before 
known  defeat. 

Spring  came,  the  Musselshell  party  returned  to 
the  fort  near  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  and 
there  the  quarrel  was  renewed.  Once  more  Tal- 
beau strove  to  pacify  his  friends,  and  with  appa- 
rent success.  At  the  little  man's  suggestion,  the 
two  big  men  agreed  to  join  in  the  old  rite  of  friend- 
ship —  the   shooting   of   the   cup.     A   coin   was 


The   Two  Parties  Unite  79 

tossed  for  the  first  shot,  which  fell  to  Fink.  Now 
calling  Talbeau  aside,  Carpenter  willed  his  gun, 
flint,  powder  horn,  knife  and  blankets  to  the  little 
man,  who  laughingly  accepted  the  bequest,  re- 
marking that  Fink  couldn't  miss  a -target  if  he 
tried.  Whether  or  not  Fink  missed  his  target 
was  still  a  question  among  the  tellers  of  the  tale. 
What  he  hit  was  a  spot  between  the  eyes  of  his 
old  friend.^ 

So  in  the  enforced  idleness  of  the  down-stream 
journey,  the  men  whiled  away  the  hours  by  spin- 
ning yarns :     • 

Looped  yarns  wherein  the  veteran  spinners  vied 
To  color  with  a  lie  more  glorified 
Some  thread  that  had  veracity  enough  — 
Spun  straightway  out  of  life's  own  precious  stuff 
That  each  had  scutched  and  heckled  in  the  raw. 

And  often  in  the  nights  of  drifting,  when  the  men 
lay  huddled  together  on  deck,  gazing  at  the  stars 
or  watching  the  shadowy  shore  forge  slowly  to  the 
rear,  some  French  voyageur  would  strike  up  a 
well-known  tune  on  a  fiddle,  setting  the  band  to 
singing  and  causing  the  wolves  and  coyotes  to  yip 
and  yammer  among  the  bluffs.  And  once  Major 
Henry  himself,  who  loved  the  violin  and  handled 
it  with  considerable  skill,  played  a  weird  air  that 
sobbed  like  a  woman,  yet  was  very  sweet  to  hear, 
somehow.     And  the  men  were  silent,  marvelling 

1  The  complete   story  is  to  be   found    in   my   narrative   poem, 
"The  Song  of  Three  Friends,"  Macmillan,  1919. 


8o  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

that  he  who  played  there  In  the  starlight  was  the 
same  Henry  whom  they  had  seen  calm  In  battle 
and  of  whom  so  many  tales  of  daring  were  told. 
It  was  near  the  end  of  the  third  week  in  June 
when  the  party,  having  drifted  by  the  mouth  of 
the  Cannonball  River,  began  to  dread  the  passing 
of  the  Ree  towns;  and  all  tales  were  forgotten  in 
the  general  discussion  of  that  coming  event. 
There  were  those  who  pointed  out  how  the  high 
bluff  above  the  upper  village,  and  at  the  foot  of 
which  the  main  current  then  ran,  would  be  swarm- 
ing with  Indians  prepared  to  rake  the  keelboat's 
deck  with  a  plunging  fire;  and  others  saw  the 
wooded  island  below  the  lower  village  belching 
rifle  smoke  and  impossible  to  pass.  And  what  of 
the  four  hundred  yards  of  pickets  between  those 
two  strategic  points?  Over  and  over  the  imag- 
ined battle  was  fought;  but  when,  in  mid-after- 
noon of  the  next  day,  the  keelboat  swept  about  a 
righthand  bend  and  swirled  down  a  westward 
stretch  with  the  upper  Ree  town  to  starboard, 
while  the  men  gripped  their  cocked  rifles,  noth- 
ing serious  happened.  Dogs  barked,  villagers 
crowded  on  the  lodge  tops,  and  a  band  of  unarmed 
braves,  running  down  the  beach,  signalled  with 
buffalo  robes  by  way  of  indicating  their  keen  de- 
sire to  trade  and  their  very  benevolent  intentions. 
But  the  keelboat  swept  on  with  the  strong  June 
current,  and  soon  the  babble  of  the  towns  had 
died  out  astern.     Having  drifted  all  night  long, 


The   Two  Parties   Unite  8i 

at  sunset  of  the  following  day  the  party  came  to 
Ashley's  camp  near  the  mouth  of  the  Cheyenne. 

'We  may  be  sure  that  there  was  great  talk  that 
night  about  the  fires;  and  though  the  dominant 
theme  was  defeat,  the  glare  of  the  embers  re- 
vealed the  weathered  faces  of  many  who  were  des- 
tined to  great  victories.  At  this  distance  in  time 
the  light  upon  their  features  is  dim,  but  the  mem- 
ory of  their  achievements  is  like  a  torch  flaring  in 
a  gloom  for  those  who  are  familiar  with  that  pe- 
riod. First  of  all,  there  was  Andrew  Henry, 
whose  adventures  in  the  region  of  the  Three 
Forks  and  beyond  the  Great  Divide  lead  one  back 
to  the  days  of  Manuel  Lisa  and  the  men  of  Lewis 
and  Clark.  Near  him  sat  Ashley,  whose  future 
explorations  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Colorado 
would  fix  his  name  In  our  history.  Yonder  was 
James  Bridger,  a  lad  of  nineteen  years,  who  would  i/^ 
be  the  first  to  look  upon  Great  Salt  Lake,  and 
whose  career,  then  just  beginning,  would  outlast 
the  fur  trade  and  the  Sioux  Wars,  ending  peace- 
fully nearly  sixty  years  later  on  a  Missouri  farm. 
The  powerfully  built,  gray-bearded  man  was 
Hugh  Glass,  the  memory  of  whose  amazing  ad- 
ventures would  preserve  for  posterity  the  record 
of  Henry's  important  westbound  expedition  In  the 
fall  of  that  year.  Yonder  sat  Fitzpatrick,  soon 
to  be  widely  known  among  the  tribes  of  the  West 
'as  "  The  Chief  of  the  Withered  Hand  ";  and  not 
far  away  was  Etienne  Provost.     Both  of  these 


y 


•^ 


82  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

have  been  credited  with  the  discovery  of  South 
Pass;  but  the  former  was  doubtless  the  first  white 
man  to  travel  through  that  important  gateway  to 
the  land  beyond  the  Rockies.  In  the  glow  of  an- 
-^^  other  fire  sat  William  L.  Sublette,  a  tall  man  with 
blue  eyes,  sandy  hair,  and  a  Roman  nose.  He 
i  would  be  the  first  to  take  wagons  to  the  mountains 
I  over  the  great  natural  road  later  to  be  known  as 
the  Oregon  Trail.  Here  was  Edward  Rose,  yon- 
der David  Jackson  and  Louis  Vasquez  —  names 
to  conjure  with  in  those  days  of  mighty  men.  But 
more  important  than  any  yet  named  was  the  slen- 
der, taciturn  man  of  twenty-five  who  had  just  re- 
turned from  his  hazardous  journey  to  the  Yellow- 
stone. He  would  be  the  first  to  travel  the  great 
central  route  to  the  Pacific,  the  first  American  to 
reach  California  by  land. ' 

These  men,  with  many  others,  who  talked  about 
the  fires  that  night  and  are  now  forgotten,  were 
the  real  explorers  of  the  West  between  the  route 
of  Lewis  and  Clark  and  the  northern  boundary  of 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  During  the  next  two 
decades,  this  body  of  men  would  scatter  over  the^ 
whole  Trans-Missouri  country. 

During  that  evening  General  Ashley  and  Major 
Henry  decided  to  move  the  united  parties  down 
stream  to  the  mouth  of  the  Teton,  there  to  wait 
for  the  reinforcements  that  they  hoped  would  be 
sent  up-stream  by  the  military  authorities  at  Fort 
Atkinson.     During  Jededlah  Smith's  absence,  the 


The   Two  Parties   Unite  83 

keelboat  Yellowstone  had  dropped  down  stream 
to  Atkinson,  bearing  the  seriously  wounded  men 
of  Ashley's  command  and  a  message  from  the  de- 
feated General  to  Colonel  Leavenworth,  then 
commander  of  that  post.  Coincident  with  the  ar- 
rival of  the  keelboat  at  the  fort,  the  tragic  tale  of 
another  disaster  to  American  traders  came  from 
Pryor's  Fork  of  the  Yellowstone.  There  in  May, 
Jones  and  Immel  who,  as  we  have  seen,  had  set 
out  in  advance  of  Henry  in  the  spring  of  1822, 
had  encountered  a  superior  number  of  hostile 
Blackfeet  and  had  been  killed,  together  with  five 
of  their  men.  The  loss  of  property  was  reckoned 
at  $15,000  —  a  large  sum  in  those  days. 

Moved  by  this  accumulation  of  misfortune, 
Leavenworth  acted  promptly,  and  was  now  al- 
ready pushing  northward  to  punish  the  Rees  and 
to  render  the  riverway  safe  for  American  traders 
and  trappers. 

During  the  next  day  after  the  arrival  of  Hen- 
ry's party  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cheyenne,  Jede- 
diah  Smith,  with  one  companion,  started  out  on 
another  journey,  being  chosen  to  take  to  St.  Louis 
the  furs  that  Henry's  men  had  collected  during  the 
previous  fall  and  spring.  One  of  the  most  strik- 
ing facts  in  this  man's  short  and  wonderful  career 
was  his  ceaseless  activity.  His  entry  into  the  fur 
trade  may  be  likened  to  a  plunge  into  an  irresist- 
ible current  that  should  bear  him  swiftly  and  far, 
and  from  which  the  release  could  be  through  death 


84  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

alone.  Such  facts  in  human  lives  are  not  to  be  re- 
garded as  matters  of  chance,  but  rather  as  mani- 
festations of  temperament.  Curious,  capable, 
fearless,  and  self-contained,  Smith  was  never  the 
man  to  wait  for  events.  He  went  forth  eagerly 
to  meet  them.  Such  ever  are  the  splendid  way- 
farers of  this  world. 


/ 

i 
VII 

THE    LEAVENWORTH    CAMPAIGN 

ON"  June  22nd,  that  is  to  say,  at  about  the  time 
when  Major  Henry  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  Cheyenne,  Colonel  Leavenworth  had  started 
north  from  Fort  Atkinson  with  six  companies  of 
the  Sixth  United  States  Infantry,  consisting  of 
two  hundred  twenty  men,  three  keelboats,  includ- 
ing the  Yellowstone  sent  down  by  Ashley,  and  two 
six-pound  cannon.  Five  days  later  Joshua  Pilcher 
of  the  Missouri  Fur  Company,  with  sixty  trappers 
and  two  keelboats,  upon  one  of  which  a  small 
howitzer  was  mounted,  overtook  the  military  ex- 
I  pedition  and  joined  forces  with  it.  On  July  6th 
I     another  keelboat  was  procured  from  a  descending 

party  of  trappers. 
^  Owing  to  the  very  high  water  and  continuous 

P  headwinds,  the  advance  of  the  combined  parties 
was  slow.  During  the  night  of  the  8th  of  July 
a  terrific  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  such  as  all 
prairie  dwellers  know,  drove  the  Yellowstone 
from  her  moorings  and  wrecked  her  on  a  sand- 
bar, where  all  night  long  in  the  violent  downpour 
her  crew  struggled  to  save  her  cargo  from  the  rag- 
ing river.     Once  again,  as  the  more  superstitious 

8s 


86  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

voyageurs  were,  doubtless,  not  slow  to  note,  It  was 
Ashley's  property  that  had  been  chosen  for  mis- 
fortune. Plainly,  luck  was  no  friend  to  the  Gen- 
eral !  Two  days  were  lost  in  hauling  the  keelboat 
ashore  and  repairing  it.  ^ 

On  July  19th  the  expedition  arrived  at  Fort 
Recovery,  situated  on  the  Island  that  lies  opposite 
the  present  town  of  Oacoma,  South  Dakota ;  and 
there  two  small  bands  of  Yankton  and  Teton 
Sioux  joined  the  whites.  Nine  days  later,  the 
forces  under  Leavenworth  were  further  increased 
by  two  hundred  Saone  and  Uncpapa  Sioux,  who 
had  reasons  of  their  own  for  wishing  to  move 
against  the  Rees  under  circumstances  apparently 
so  favorable.  The  last  day  of  the  m.onth  was 
spent  In  waiting  for  another  large  band  of  Sioux 
Indians  who  had  sent  runners  to  announce  their  in- 
tention of  joining  the  expedition. 

It  was  not  until  the  first  of  August  that  Leaven- 
worth reached  the  camp  of  Ashley  and  Henry, 
who,  having  succeeded  in  procuring  a  supply  of 
horses  from  the  Sioux  at  the  mouth  of  the  Teton, 
had  moved  on  a  short  distance  down  stream,  in- 
tending to  proceed  overland  to  the  Yellowstone  if 
the  military  forces  failed  to  arrive  within  a  rea- 
sonable time.  There  were  now  but  eighty  men 
in  their  party,  and  these  were  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  Colonel  Leavenworth,  who  proceeded  at 
once  to  organize  the  motley  collection  of  fighting 
men  under  his  command  into   a   military  body. 


The  Leavenworth  Campaign  87 

The  result  was  styled  '' The  Missouri  Legion." 
During  the  first  week  of  August,  the  progress  of 
the  expedition  was  considerably  retarded  by  the 
whims  of  the  Indian  aUies,  some  of  whom  were  in- 
clined to  indulge  in  dog-feasts  while  the  United 
States  Army  waited  in  advance,  and  others  in 
large  numbers  insisted  upon  being  ferried  across 
the  river  now  and  then  —  an  operation  costing 
considerable  time  and  effort.  However,  on  the 
8th  of  August  the  Legion,  being  then  at  a  point 
twenty-five  miles  below  the  Ree  towns,  succeeded 
at  last  in  getting  together,  and  the  general  ad- 
vance began.  Considering  the  time,  the  place, 
and  the  strength  of  the  foe,  it  was  truly  a  formid- 
able force  that  Colonel  Leavenworth  viewed  that 
day,  and  it  must  have  made  a  pretty  show  as  it 
moved  northward.  One  hundred  forty  long- 
haired and  bearded  trappers  in  the  picturesque 
semi-savage  garb  of  the  wilderness;  two  hundred 
twenty  United  States  regulars  in  army  blue;  four 
hundred  Sioux  Indians,  splendid  in  war-paint  and 
feathers,  about  half  of  them  armed  with  bows, 
lances  and  war-clubs;  and  in  addition  to  these,  a 
fleet  of  six  keelboats!  Surely  now  the  Rees  were 
about  to  pay  dearly  for  their  treachery ! 

At  sunset  the  Legion  went  into  camp  ten  miles 
nearer  to  its  objective,  and  early  in  the  morning 
of  the  9th  it  was  on  the  march  again.  "  During 
the  day,"  says  the  Colonel  in  his  report  to  the 
War  Department,   "  we  continually  received  the 


88  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

most  strange  and  contradictory  accounts  from 
our  Indians.  It  appeared  that  there  were  several 
Sioux  living  with  the  Aricaras  and  who  had  in- 
termarried with  them.  They  were  sent  for,  to 
come  out  and  see  their  friends,  who  were  coming, 
as  the  Sioux  said,  to  smoke  and  make  peace  with 
the  Aricaras.  Some  said  that  the  villages  were 
strongly  fortified  and  furnished  with  ditches  as 
deep  as  a  man's  chin  when  standing  in  them.  At 
other  times  it  was  said  that  the  Aricaras  were  so 
confident  that  the  Sioux  were  coming  to  make 
peace  with  them  that  they  had  taken  down  their 
defences  and  that  there  was  nothing  to  defend 
them  but  their  dirt  lodges.  Nothing  appeared 
certain  but  that  the  Aricaras  were  still  in  their 
villages.  These  contradictory  stories,  which  were 
told  by  the  Sioux,  had  the  effect  to  create  sus- 
picions of  their  fidelity.  It  was  also  reported 
(and  there  was  too  much  reason  to  believe  it  true) 
that  the  Saones  and  Uncpapas,  who  were  com- 
bined, had  determined,  in  case  we  were  defeated, 
to  join  the  Aricaras." 

Surely  a  military  commander  has  seldom  been 
placed  in  a  more  precarious  situation  than  that  of 
Leavenworth;  and  to  make  matters  worse,  it  be- 
came more  and  more  apparent  that  Joshua  Pilcher 
was  concerned  far  less  with  the  success  of  Leav- 
enworth's expedition  than  with  the  failure  of  Ash- 
ley's enterprise.  Through  a  wily  Frenchman  of 
his  party,  one  Simoneau,  who  seems  to  have  been 


The  Leavenworth  Campaign  89 

the  only  interpreter  available  to  Leavenworth  in 
his  relations  with  the  Sioux,  Pilcher  evidently  left 
nothing  undone  that  might  increase  his  own  pres- 
tige with  the  Indian  allies,  at  the  same  time  dis- 
crediting Ashley  and  embarrassing  the  unfortu- 
nate Colonel.  The  following  incident  of  the  ad- 
vance, as  told  by  Leavenworth  in  his  official  re- 
port, is  typical:  "  Mr.  Pilcher  soon  came  to  me 
with  an  Indian  whom  he  reported  to  be  an  Ari- 
cara,  and  said  that  he  had  delivered  himself  up 
and  claimed  protection.  I  dismounted  and  dis- 
armed the  Indian,  and  placed  him  under  guard  and 
gave  his  arms  to  a  Sioux  who  was  destitute.  It 
afterwards  appeared  that  Major  Pilcher's  Ari- 
cara  prisoner  was  a  Sioux  who  belonged  to  the 
Major's  command!  " 

It  can  scarcely  be  questioned  that  the  Sioux 
very  soon  came  to  regard  the  whole  affair  as 
rather  a  lark  and  the  white  soldiers  as  the  butt 
of  a  good  joke.  At  no  time  was  Colonel  Leaven- 
worth able  to  control  them.  Having  been  placed 
on  the  flanks  of  the  advancing  force,  with  instruc- 
tions to  keep  those  positions,  "  they  were  soon  out 
of  sight  "  in  the  direction  of  the  villages.  When 
about  three  miles  from  their  objective,  the  soldiers 
heard  brisk  firing  ahead,  and  soon  met  some  of  the 
Sioux  returning  pell  mell  with  a  few  captured  Ree 
horses.  At  this  juncture,  Pilcher  turned  up  with 
a  report  that  the  enemy  had  met  the  Sioux  near 
the  villages  "  and  had  not  only  maintained  their 


h\ 


90  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

ground  against  the  Sioux,  but  had  driven  them 
back."  He  therefore  insisted  "  that  it  was  highly- 
important  to  press  forward  one  or  two  companies 
to  support  the  Sioux,  or  the  consequences  would 
probably  be  prejudicial."  The  soldiery  immedi- 
ately ''  set  out  on  a  run  "  and  soon  the  Legion 
was  within  striking  distance  of  the  foe.  But  when 
the  men  were  deployed  in  battle  formation,  noth- 
ing happened,  owing  to  the  unfortunate  fact  that 
the  unruly  Indian  alHes  were  ahead  and  obstructed 
the  line  of  fire ! 

The  enemy  now  withdrew  into  the  villages,  and 
the  Sioux,  who  had  succeeded  in  killing  a  few 
Rees,  decided  that  the  proper  moment  had  arrived 
for  playing  the  not  too  edifying  game  of  *'  White 
Bear."  "  This  consisted,"  so  the  Colonel  tells  us, 
"  of  placing  the  skin  of  that  animal  over  the  shoul- 
ders of  a  Sioux  who  walked  upon  his  hands  and 
knees  and  endeavored  to  imitate  the  bear  in  his 
motions  by  walking  around  and  smelling  the  dead 
bodies.  Sometimes  he  would  cut  off  small  pieces 
of  the  flesh  and  eat  it." 

By  the  time  the  Sioux  had  tired  of  their  game, 
and  when  the  keelboats  had  at  last  arrived  with 
the  artillery,  night  was  approaching  and  the  Col- 
onel decided  to  postpone  further  operations  un- 
til the  next  day,  August  loth. 

The  great  day  arrived;  but  when  the  soldiers 
and  trappers  had  taken  advantageous  positions 
about  the  towns,  it  was  remarked  that  "  our  In- 


The  Leavenworth  Campaign  91 

dian  allies  were  very  much  scattered  in  the  rear." 
However,  the  artillery  opened  fire.  The  first 
shot  killed  the  great  Ree  chief,  Gray  Eyes,  and 
the  second  brought  down  the  Ree  medicine  pole. 
This  seemed  a  very  good  beginning,  indeed.  A 
party  under  Major  Ketchum  was  now  ordered  to 
advance  and  did  so  — ''  until  ordered  to  halt." 
Being  then  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the 
lower  village,  it  occurred  to  the  Major  that  the 
guns  of  his  heroes  "  had  been  loaded  for  a  consid- 
erable time,"  and  that  it  was  "  desirable  to  dis- 
charge them."  (The  guns,  not  the  heroes!) 
The  guns  were  thereupon  fired  —  with  what  effect 
we  are  not  told. 

At  this  juncture  Leavenworth  became  convinced 
that  it  would  be  well  to  examine  the  Ree  defences, 
thanks  to  a  certain  Mr.  McDonald  who  had  spent 
some  time  in  the  villages.  It  was  Mr.  McDon- 
ald's opinion  that  the  defences  were  so  strong  and 
the  Rees  so  confident  in  their  strength  that  "  in 
case  an  assault  were  made,  every  squaw  would 
count  her  coup  (that  is,  kill  a  man)."  "  With  a 
view  to  ascertaining  the  strength  of  the  fortifica- 
tions," continues  the  Colonel,  '*  I  thought  of  mak- 
ing an  assault  upon  an  acute  angle  of  the  upper 
town,  which  I  could  approach  within  one  hundred 
steps  under  cover  of  a  hill.  Accordingly  Major 
Ketchum  was  ordered  to  advance.  General  Ash- 
ley with  his  command  (trappers)  was  also  or- 
dered to  advance.     He  did  so  in  the  most  gallant 


92  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

manner.  He  promptly  took  possession  of  a  ra- 
vine within  twenty  steps  of  the  lower  town  and 
maintained  a  spirited  action,  well  calculated  to 
assist  us  In  our  design  upon  the  upper  town,  by 
making  a  diversion  in  our  favor." 

By  this  time,  however,  the  mood  of  the  Sioux 
seems  to  have  dwindled  from  martial  to  bucolic. 
"  For  when  all  other  things  were  ready,"  com- 
plains the  sorely  tried  Colonel,  "  I  was  mortified 
exceedingly  to  learn  from  Mr.  Pilcher  that  no 
assistance  could  be  obtained  from  the  Sioux  in  con- 
sequence of  their  being  so  deeply  engaged  In  gath- 
ering corn  "  in  the  fields  of  the  Rees !  (One  can 
scarcely  blame  them,  for  it  was  the  time  of  roast- 
ing ears,  the  eating  of  which  they  naturally  found 
much  more  pleasurable  than  fighting!)  Leaven- 
worth thereupon  decided  not  to  proceed  with  the 
examination  of  the  enemy  defences;  for,  having 
gained  the  desired  information,  he  would  be  com- 
pelled to  fall  back  under  cover  of  the  hill,  there 
to  organize  the  attack;  and  the  Sioux,  being  likely 
to  mistake  that  strategic  maneuver  for  defeat, 
might  join  the  Rees.  Furthermore,  some  of  the 
enemy,  at  this  time,  created  a  counter-diversion 
by  issuing  from  the  towns  and  occupying  a  ravine 
In  the  rear  of  "  our  men  on  the  hill."  So  the 
reconnaissance  failed. 

Leavenworth  now  went  in  search  of  Pilcher  and 
found  him  and  his  men  "  lying  In  a  hollow  behind 
the  hill."     After  some  conversation  with  the  lels- 


The  Leavenworth  Campaign  93 

urely  gentleman,  the  Colonel  decided  "  to  direct 
Simoneau  to  go  as  near  the  village  as  he  could 
with  safety,  hail  the  Aricaras  and  tell  them  they 
were  fools  not  to  come  out  and  speak  with  the 
whites.**  Simoneau  hailed  the  Rees  twice,  and 
then  said  that  the  wind  blew  so  hard  he  couldn't 
make  himself  heard.  Whereupon  the  Colonel  re- 
marked *'  that  it  was  a  matter  of  no  consequence." 

In  the  meanwhile  both  the  upper  and  lower  vil- 
lages had  been  receiving  a  desultory  shelling  from 
the  six-pounders  and  the  howitzer;  but,  upon 
learning  that  only  thirty-nine  rounds  of  ammuni- 
tion remained,  the  Colonel  commanded  the  artil- 
lery to  cease  firing  in  order  to  save  the  remaining 
shot  for  a  general  assault  upon  the  towns  which 
he  planned  to  make.  He  then  notified  the  Sioux, 
still  hotly  engaged  with  the  serried  ranks  of  the 
corn,  that  he  wished  them  to  withdraw.  They 
obeyed,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  fact  that  they  had 
gathered  all  the  roasting  ears  they  could  carry. 
Both  Ketchum  and  Ashley  were  recalled  from 
their  advanced  positions,  and  a  party  was  organ- 
ized to  invade  the  enemy's  cornfields  **  to  obtain 
subsistence  for  our  men,  several  of  whom,  par- 
ticularly General  Ashley's  command,  had  not  had 
any  provisions  for  two  days." 

The  Colonel,  having  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  assault  upon  the  armies  of  the  green  corn 
would  be  prosecuted  with  conspicuous  gallantry, 
retired  to  the  cabin  of  his  keelboat,  probably  to 


94  ^^'^  Splendid  Wayfaring 

meditate  In  quiet  upon  his  victories.  It  was  now 
mid-afternoon.  "  Very  soon  afterwards,'*  he  tells 
us,  "  Mr.  Pilcher  came  into  my  cabin  and  appar- 
ently with  great  alarm  informed  me  that  Captain 
Riley  was  attacked.  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  it, 
and  immediately  went  out  to  send  him  support. 
But  behold !  Captain  Riley  and  all  our  men  were 
very  quietly  coming  In  without  the  least  knowledge 
of  any  attack  being  made  upon  them.  Mr.  Pil- 
cher remarked  that  this  report  was  unfortunately 
too  much  like  the  case  of  his  Arlcara  prisoner!  " 

An  hour  later,  while  conferring  with  General 
Ashley  concerning  operations  that  were  to  follow, 
Leavenworth  saw  a  Sioux  and  an  Arlcara  holding 
a  conversation  on  the  plain  in  front  of  the  villages. 
He  sent  for  Pilcher  and  told  him  that  the  Sioux 
and  Rees  were  holding  a  parley  and  asked  him 
"  to  go  and  see  to  It."  Pilcher  moved  off  with  his 
Interpreter,  Simoneau,  toward  the  place  Indicated. 
Then,  '*  casting  my  eye  up  the  hills  In  our  rear," 
continues  the  Colonel's  report,  "  I  discovered  that 
they  were  covered  with  the  retreating  Sioux,  and 
I  soon  had  reason  to  know  that  they  were  all  going 
off.  I  Immediately  mounted  my  horse  and  went 
after  Mr.  Pilcher  to  be  present  at  the  parley  with 
the  Sioux  and  Aricaras." 

The  Rees  now  asked  pity  for  their  women  and 
children,  and  said  they  did  not  want  to  be  fired 
upon  any  more.  Gray  Eyes,  who  had  caused  all 
the  mischief,  was  dead.     The  Ree  chiefs  wished 


The  Leavenworth  Campaign  95 

to  talk  and  make  peace.  Leavenworth  was  quite 
ready  to  talk,  and  the  chiefs  came.  "  Do  with 
us  as  you  please,"  said  they,  "  but  do  not  fire  any 
more  guns  at  us.  We  are  all  in  tears."  The  Col- 
onel replied  that  they  must  make  up  General  Ash- 
ley's losses,  and  give  up  five  principal  men  of  their 
tribe  as  a  guarantee  of  good  conduct  in  the  future. 
The  chiefs  agreed  to  restore  everything  possible. 
Their  horses  had  been  taken  by  the  Sioux  and 
killed  in  great  numbers.  They  had  no  horses  to 
give,  but  they  would  return  all  the  guns  they  could 
find  and  the  articles  of  property  they  had  received 
from  General  Ashley.  They  would  even  return 
the  hats!  Also,  they  w^ould  give  five  of  their 
number  as  hostages.  Accordingly,  a  treaty  was 
signed  —  but  not  by  the  principal  chiefs  of  the 
tribe,  as  Pilcher,  with  some  asperity,  pointed  out 
to  the  Colonel.  As  to  General  Ashley's  property, 
three  rifles,  one  horse  and  sixteen  buffalo  robes 
were  returned.  When  the  hostages  arrived, 
Leavenworth  refused  to  receive  them,  as  they 
were  evidently  men  of  no  importance. 

Thus  the  farce  went  on,  Pilcher  constantly  play- 
ing at  cross  purposes  with  the  Colonel,  until,  dur- 
ing the  night  of  the  12th  of  August,  the  Rees 
fled  from  their  villages  —  all  except  one  feeble 
old  squaw,  the  mother  of  the  dead  chief,  Gray 
Eyes.  There  was  now  nothing  left  for  Leaven- 
worth to  do  but  to  march  away.  During  the 
"night  of  his  departure,  contrary  to  his  orders,  the 


g6  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

towns  were  fired  by  parties  unknown,  though  sus- 
picion seemed  to  point  to  certain  men  of  the  Mis- 
souri Fur  Company. 

On  the  23rd  of  August,  Pilcher,  then  at  Fort 
Recovery,  addressed  the  following  letter  to  Col- 
onel Leavenworth :  '*  I  am  well  aware  that  hu- 
manity and  philanthropy  are  mighty  shields  for 
you  against  those  who  are  entirely  ignorant  of  the 
disposition  and  character  of  the  Indians;  but  with 
those  who  have  experienced  the  fatal  and  ruinous 
consequences  of  their  treachery  and  barbarity 
these  considerations  will  avail  nothing.  You 
came  to  restore  peace  and  tranquillity  to  the  coun- 
try, and  to  leave  an  impression  which  would  insure 
its  continuance.  Your  operations  have  been  such 
as  to  produce  the  contrary  effect,  and  to  impress 
the  different  tribes  with  the  greatest  contempt  for 
the  American  character.  You  came  (to  use  your 
own  language)  *  to  open  and  make  good  this  great 
road  ' ;  instead  of  which  you  have,  by  the  imbecil- 
ity of  your  conduct  and  operations,  created  and 
left  impassable  barriers.'* 

So  ended  the  first  campaign  of  the  United 
States  Army  against  the  Indians  of  the  Plains. 
The  forces  under  Leavenworth's  command,  in- 
cluding the  trappers  and  the  Sioux,  had  numbered 
slightly  over  one  thousand.  The  Ree  villages  at 
that  time  contained  about  seven  hundred  war- 
riors and  something  over  three  thousand  old  men, 
squaws  and  children.     Two  white  men  had  been 


->  A3 


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The  Leavenworth  Campaign  97 

wounded  and  two  of  the  Sioux  killed,  while  the 
Rees  had  lost  no  more  than  thirty,  some  of  whom 
were  women  and  children.  The  cost  of  the  cam- 
paign to  the  United  States  Government  was  com- 
puted at  $2,038.24. 

It  was  a  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  opera  without  the 
rhymes  and  the  music,  Pilcher  playing  the  role  of 
the  heavy  villain.  But  perhaps  Colonel  Leaven- 
worth should  not  be  too  greatly  blamed  for  the 
fiasco.  His  conduct  at  the  battles  of  Chippewa 
and  Niagara  Falls  in  the  War  of  18 12  amply 
proves  that  he  had  no  lack  of  courage;  and  we 
have  George  Catlin's  word  for  it  that  the  manner 
of  his  death,  some  years  later,  was  noble.  In  his 
campaign  against  the  Rees  he  was  the  victim  of 
commercial  rivalry. 

Nevertheless,  one  wonders  what  might  have 
been  the  result  if  an  officer  like  Crook  had  been  in 
command.  Or  Custer !  Fancy  Pilcher,  or  any 
other  man,  playing  at  ducks  and  drakes  with  him 
who  humbled  the  Cheyenne  on  the  Washita,  and 
died  with  all  his  men  on  the  bluffs  along  the  Little 
Big  Horn  I 


\ix'%JM 


'£■  O  '    C\  OLk^x    vn  ^ 


•  X 


WESTWARD  W  THE   GRAND 

NOW  that  the  Ree  campaign  was  over,  Gen- 
eral Ashley  returned  to  St.  Louis,  and 
Major  Henry,  with  an  inadequate  number  of 
horses  that  had  been  purchased  from  the  Sioux, 
set  out  by  way  of  the  Grand  River  valley  for  his 
post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone.  Jedediah 
Smith,  who  had  but  recently  returned  from  St. 
Louis,  accompanied  the  expedition. 

Two  hundred  men  had  gone  nprth  in  the  two 
Ashley-Henry  parties  of  1822  and  1^23;  and  now, 
in  mid-August  of  the  latter  year,  the  number  had 
dwindled  to  one  hundred,  counting  those  left  by 
Henry  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone.  But 
hardship  and  calamity  had  tested  these;  the  frailer 
spirits  had  been  eliminated  by  natural  selection; 
and  it  was  the  pick  of  the  fur  trade  that  rode 
away  from  the  Missouri  in  the  waning  summer. 
Thus  the  resistance  of  the  Rees,  that  in  itself 
might  seem  an  insignificant  episode,  is  raised  to  a 
position  of  historical  importance  when  viewed  in 
relation  to  the  westward  race-movement;  for  that 
tribe  of  savages  had  acted  as  the  principal  agent 
in  a  sifting  process,  out  of  which  should  come 

98 


Westward  by  the  Grand  99 

sturdy  spirits  fit  to  lead  the  van  of  the  Aryan  peo- 
ples on  the  last  lap  of  the  long  journey  from 
Mesopotamia  to  where  the  sun  goes  down  in  the 
Pacific. 

However,  It  was  not  as  conscious  forerunners 
of  civilization  that  these  men  went  forth;  and 
that  they  should  ever  be  regarded  as  benefactors 
of  the  human  race  could  not  have  occurred  to  the 
generality  of  them.  The  two  great  forces  that 
have  caused  all  folk-wanderings  Impelled  them  — 
the  economic  urge  and  the  perennial  human  curi- 
osity that  Is  basic  In  the  love  of  adventure.  The 
leaders,  with  the  single  exception  of  Jededlah 
Smith,  were  doubtless  In  their  own  estimation 
merely  traders  and  trappers,  out  for  the  precious 
beaver  pelts  with  which  to  buy  what  no  man  ever 
purchased  at  a  price  —  happiness;  and  the  rank 
and  file,  receiving  from  $150  to  $300  per  year, 
were  lured  on  by  the  witchery  of  danger  and  the 
free  life  of  the  wilderness.  Their  heroism  was 
a  mere  by-product;  yet  it  alone  has  enriched  the 
race,  while  the  beaver  fur,  that  seemed  all  Im- 
portant at  the  time,  has  returned  to  dust. 

In  "  Lord  Jim  "  Joseph  Conrad  has  the  fol- 
lowing passage,  which,  though  it  refers  to  wander- 
ers on  the  Seven  Seas,  Is  peculiarly  applicable  to 
these  early  explorers  of  the  Far  West:  '*  To  us, 
their  less  tried  successors,  they  appear  magnified, 
not  as  agents  of  trade,  but  as  Instruments  of  a 
recorded  destiny,  pushing  out  into  the  unknown  in 


lOO  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

obedience  to  an  inward  voice,  to  an  impulse  beat- 
ing in  the  blood,  to  a  dream  of  the  future.'^ 

Our  common  human  nature  may  be  greater  than 
we  know ! 

Were  it  possible  for  us  now  to  look  backward 
(unaided  by  the  imagination),  and  glimpse  with 
the  naked  eye  those  eighty  men  pushing  westward 
in  the  broiling  day  amid  the  dust  kicked  up  by 
the  sweating  pack  animals,  we  would  probably 
consider  them  somewhat  grotesque  in  appearance. 
Some  of  those  who  had  come  up  with  Ashley  that 
spring  were  still  clad  in  the  garb  of  civilization 
(sadly  in  need  of  patches ! ) .  Others  of  the  same 
band  had  already  been  forced  to  discard  a  por- 
tion of  their  original  clothing,  and  now  wore  an 
incongruous  combination  of  Indian  and  white 
man's  clothing.  Those  who  had  wintered  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  had  long  since  shed  the 
clothes  with  which  they  had  started  from  St. 
Louis,  and,  having  adopted  the  whole  Indian 
costume,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  a  blue 
cotton  shirt  procured  from  the  keelboats,  could 
scarcely  be  distinguished,  at  a  distance  of  a  hun- 
dred yards,  from  the  wild  natives.  Many  of 
these  wore  deerskin  leggings  that  left  the  hips  and 
thighs  bare  save  for  a  cloth  that  was  folded 
around  the  loins  and  tucked  under  the  girdle. 
From  this  girdle  were  suspended  leather  bags 
containing  hunting  knife,  hatchet,  flint  and  steel, 
pipe  and  tobacco,  or  any  smaller  articles  of  per- 


Westward  by  the  Granif  lOi 

sonal  use  which,  in  the  jargon  of  the  trapper,  were 
known  as  "  fixins  "  or  ''  possibles."  A  buckskin 
belt,  slung  over  the  left  shoulder  and  under  the 
right  arm,  carried  the  ammunition  for  the  long 
muzzle-loading  rifle.  Vari-colored  fringes,  em- 
broideries done  in  beads  and  hair,  dyed  feathers 
and  a  variety  of  other  savage  ornaments  set  off 
this  strange  attire.  Some  were  still  wearing 
boots  and  shoes,  but  most,  either  through  neces- 
sity or  whim,  had  adopted  the  moccasin  wrought 
of  a  single  piece  of  dressed  buckskin  sewed  from 
heel  to  ankle  with  deer  sinew  and  gathered  from 
toe  to  instep.  Large  red  or  blue  cotton  handker- 
chiefs, tied  in  the  shape  of  a  turban,  served  most 
of  these  men  for  headgear.^ 

But  however  hit-and-miss  these  men  might  ap- 
pear, there  was  nothing  haphazard  about  the  man- 
ner of  their  progress;  for  as  a  result  of  his  ex- 
periences in  the  wilderness.  Major  Henry  had 
worked  out  a  complete  technique  for  the  moving 
of  bodies  of  men  through  hostile  Indian  country. 
The  organization  of  the  band,  the  duties  of  each 
unit,  the  order  of  march,  and  the  method  of  mak- 
ing camp  were  as  much  a  matter  of  rigid  plan  as 
was  the  case  with  a  Roman  legion  under  Caesar. 
General  Ashley  has  left  us  the  following  account 
of  such  arrangements :  ^ 

"  In  the  organization  of  a  party,  say  from  sixty 
to  eighty  men,  four  of  the  most  confidential  and 

1  Encyclopedia  of  St.  Louis,  quoted  by  Chittenden. 

2  Chittenden,  *'  History  of  the  American  Fur  Trade."     Vol.  III. 


I02  'The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

experienced  of  the  number  are  selected  to  aid  in 
the  command;  the  rest  are  divided  into  messes  of 
eight  or  ten.  A  suitable  man  is  also  appointed  at 
the  head  of  each  mess,  whose  duty  it  is  to  make 
known  the  wants  of  his  mess,  receive  supplies  for 
them,  make  distributions,  watch  over  their  con- 
duct, enforce  orders,  etc.  The  party  thus  or- 
ganized, each  man  receives  the  horses  and  mules 
allotted  to  him,  their  equipage,  and  the  packs 
which  his  mules  are  to  carry.  Every  article  so 
disposed  of  is  entered  in  a  book  kept  for  that 
purpose.  When  the  party  reaches  the  Indian 
country,  great  order  and  vigilance  in  the  discharge 
of  their  duty  are  required  of  every  man.  A  va- 
riety of  circumstances  confines  the  march  very 
often  to  the  borders  of  large  water  courses. 
When  that  is  the  case,  it  is  found  convenient  and 
safe,  when  the  ground  will  admit,  to  locate  our 
camps  (which  are  generally  laid  off  in  a  square) 
so  as  to  make  the  river  form  one  line,  and  include 
as  much  ground  in  it  as  may  be  sufficient  for  the 
whole  number  of  horses,  allowing  for  each  a  range 
of  thirty  feet  in  diameter. 

'*  On  the  arrival  of  the  party  at  their  camping 
place,  the  position  of  each  mess  is  pointed  out, 
where  their  packs,  saddles,  etc.,  are  taken  off,  and 
with  these  a  breastwork  is  immediately  put  up  to 
cover  them  from  a  night  attack  by  Indians.  The 
horses  are  then  watered  and  delivered  to  the 
horse-guards,  who  keep  them  on  the  best  grass 


Westward  by  the  Grand  103 

outside  and  near  the  encampment,  where  they 
graze  until  sunset.  Then  each  man  brings  his 
horses  within  the  limits  of  the  camp,  exchanges 
the  light  halter  for  the  other  more  substantial 
one,  sets  his  stakes,  which  are  placed  at  the  dis- 
tance of  thirty  feet  from  each  other,  and  secures 
his  horses  to  them.  This  range  of  thirty  feet, 
in  addition  to  the  grass  the  horse  has  collected 
outside  the  camp,  will  be  sufficient  for  him  during 
the  night. 

"  After  these  regulations,  the  proceedings  for 
the  night  are  pretty  much  the  same  as  are  prac- 
ticed in  military  camps.  At  daylight  (when  in 
dangerous  parts  of  the  country)  two  or  more  men 
are  mounted  on  horseback  and  sent  to  examine 
ravines,  woods,  hills,  and  other  places  within 
striking  distance  of  the  camp,  where  Indians 
might  secrete  themselves,  before  the  men  are  al- 
lowed to  leave  their  breastworks  to  make  the  nec- 
essary morning  arrangements  for  the  march. 
When  these  spies  report  favorably,  the  horses  are 
taken  outside  the  camp,  delivered  to  the  horse- 
guard,  and  allowed  to  graze  until  the  party  has 
breakfasted,  and  are  ready  for  saddling. 

"  In  the  line  of  march,  each  mess  takes  its 
choice  of  position  in  the  line  according  to  its  ac- 
tivity in  making  ready  to  move.  The  mess  first 
ready  to  march  moves  up  in  the  rear  of  an  officer, 
who  marches  in  the  front  of  the  party,  and  takes 
its  choice  of  position ;  and  so  they  all  proceed  until 


I04  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  line  Is  formed.  In  that  way  they  march  the 
whole  of  that  day.  Spies  are  sent  out  several 
miles  ahead  to  examine  the  country  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  route,  and  others  are  kept  at  the  distance 
of  a  half  mile  or  more  from  the  party,  as  the  lay 
of  the  ground  seems  to  require,  in  front,  in  rear 
and  on  the  flanks.  In  making  discoveries  of  In- 
dians, they  communicate  the  same  by  signals,  or 
otherwise,  to  the  commanding  oflUcer,  who  makes 
his  arrangements  accordingly." 

In  this  manner  the  band  had  moved  two  days 
up  the  Grand  River,  making  fairly  good  time  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  most  of  the  men  were 
afoot,  the  horses  purchased  from  the  Sioux  being 
needed  for  the  packs  of  merchandise  brought  up 
in  Ashley's  keelboats.  It  yet  lacked  two  hours 
until  sunset  when,  weary  with  the  long  day's  jour- 
ney In  the  broiling  sun,  the  party  rounded  a  bend 
and  saw,  a  little  way  ahead,  a  lone  horse,  unsad- 
dled and  tethered,  peacefully  nipping  the  lush 
grass  of  a  pleasant  knoll  that  flanked  the  stream. 
Sitting,  nearby,  a  gray-bearded,  powerfully  built 
man  was  leisurely  skinning  a  buck  deer.  From 
the  lower  limbs  of  a  neighboring  tree  hung  three 
antelope,  already  dressed. 

A  cheer  went  up  from  the  hungry  men  in  the 
van,  and,  running  down  the  column,  set  the  pack 
horses  nickering.  The  old  man  was  Hugh  Glass, 
the  chief  hunter  of  the  party,  whose  duty  It  was 
to  ride  well  In  advance  of  his  comrades  and  have 


Westward  by  the  Grand  105 

fresh  meat  waiting  on  a  likely  camping  spot  when 
the  band  should  come  up  in  the  evening. 

The  place  is  soon  filled  with  the  bustle  and 
noise  of  eighty  men  and  fifty  horses.  The  pack- 
ers, halting  their  animals  on  three  sides  of  a 
square,  the  fourth  being  the  river,  uncinch  the 
horses  and  place  their  packs  on  the  ground  so  as 
to  form  a  breastwork.  The  horses  roll  in  the 
cool  grass,  grunting  and  whinnying  by  way  of  ex- 
pressing their  satisfaction.  Now  the  horse- 
guards  take  charge  of  the  herd,  leading  it  to  water 
and  good  grazing  outside  the  camp.  Meanwhile, 
details  from  each  mess  are  gathering  dry  wood  and 
building  fires,  while  others  are  portioning  out  the 
meat  and  preparing  it  for  supper.  Those  who 
have  no  special  duties  today  have  already  stripped 
and  are  splashing  and  laughing  boisterously  in  a 
pool  nearby,  like  the  light-hearted  boys  that  many 
of  them  are.  Now  the  kettles  are  bubbling  over 
the  fires  and  the  pleasant  smell  of  meat  is  in  the 
air.  The  sun  drops  slowly  behind  the  bluffs  and 
a  grateful  shade  falls  cool  and  blue  along  the  val- 
ley. Now  at  last  the  meal  is  ready,  and  the  men 
fall  to  with  Homeric  appetites. 

Pipes  were  out  and  lit,  and  some  of  the  men 
had  begun  to  sing,  when  a  scout  came  galloping 
up  with  a  tale  of  Rees.  He  had  caught  sight  of 
two  Indians  peering  down  upon  him  from  a  bluff 
top  an  hour  since;  and  he  was  convinced  that  they 
were  the  spies  of  a  war  party  that  planned  to 


io6  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

attack  under  cover  of  the  darkness.  The  singing 
stopped.  The  horse-guards  were  called  in,  and 
the  horses  securely  staked  within  the  hollow 
square,  while  the  men  were  assigned  to  their 
places  behind  the  baggage.  The  fires  were  put 
out  and  the  soft  starry  August  gloom  deepened 
over  the  camp.  One  man  in  each  mess  having 
been  detailed  for  guard  duty,  the  rest  were  per- 
mitted to  sleep  with  their  loaded  rifles  beside 
them. 

Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  still,  as  the  watch- 
men peered  into  the  darkness,  nothing  moved,  for 
it  was  a  windless  night.  They  heard  the  nipping 
and  blowing  of  the  contented  horses.  Now  and 
then  wolves  howled  or  an  owl  screeched.  The 
sleepy  stars  swarmed  westward,  and  the  Dipper 
pointed  midnight  on  the  polar  dial.  Still  noth- 
ing happened.  The  sleepy  watches  grumbled  to 
each  other  and  in  low  undertones  said  uncompli- 
mentary things  of  Indians  in  general,  of  the  Rees 
in  particular,  and  of  Colonel  Leavenworth  for 
having  failed  to  make  a  clean  job  of  the  late  cam- 
paign. 

Another  hour  passed.  Then  one  of  the  horses, 
with  head  held  high,  began  to  snort  and  blow. 
The  whole  herd  stopped  grazing  and,  with  ears 
pricked  forward,  stared  up  the  starlit  slope  to  the 
southward  toward  where  a  thicket  of  plum  and 
buUberry  loomed  black.     Somewhere  not  far  off 


Westward  by  the  Grand  107 

a  horse  neighed,  and  the  nervous  herd  answered 
in  unison. 

Scarcely  had  each  sentry  wakened  his  mess  with 
the  one  word,  "  Injuns,"  when  there  broke  out  of 
the  hush  the  running  crack  of  rifle  fire  and  the 
whee-oo'plunk  of  a  flight  of  arrows  falling  all 
about  the  camp.  Some  trapper  swore  in  a  shrill 
note  of  pain.  Then  the  mingled  howl  of  many 
savage  voices  swept  down  the  hillside,  and  with 
the  rumble  of  galloping  hoofs  the  attack  was 
launched  upon  the  trappers. 

Howghf  Howgh!  Howgh!  Howgh!  On  came 
the  howling  riders,  shadowy  in  the  starlight  and 
seeming  the  more  formidable  for  their  vagueness. 
Scarcely  heard  above  the  tumult  of  the  terrified 
horses,  some  of  which  had  been  struck  by  arrows, 
the  men  behind  the  baggage  were  shouting  to 
each  other  to  wait  until  the  foe  was  close.  Only 
three  or  four  rifles  went  off  prematurely. 

Surely  in  a  moment  more  the  charge  would 
sweep  right  over  the  camp ! 

The  whole  breastwork  of  baggage  blazed  and 
roared.  The  shadowy  ponies  In  front  reared 
screaming.  Some  collapsed  like  figures  in  a 
dream,  and  through  the  spreading  smoke  of  the 
rifles  the  trappers,  hastily  reloading,  saw  the  scat- 
tered war-party  flying  back  up  the  slope.  With  a 
yell  the  white  men  leaped  over  the  baggage  and, 
rushing  in  among  the  fallen  Indian  ponies,  **  lifted 


io8  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  hair  "  of  the  dead  and  wounded  Rees.  They 
came  back  with  a  half  dozen  scalps. 

When  the  excitement  had  abated  and  an  exam- 
ination of  the  camp  was  made,  two  trappers,  An- 
derson and  Neil,  were  found  dead.  Also,  the  old 
veteran,  he  of  the  many  tales,  coolly  announced 
that  he  had  an  arrow  in  his  '*  hump-ribs ''  that 
would  have  to  be  "  butchered  out,"  as  he  ex- 
pressed it  — an  operation  which,  after  lighting  his 
pipe,  he  underwent  without  an  outcry.  Several 
of  the  horses  had  been  wounded  and  some  would 
be  lame. 

In  the  morning,  while  the  herd  was  grazing  out- 
side the  camp  and  the  cooks  were  getting  break- 
fast ready,  Neil  and  Anderson  were  buried,  the 
ceremony  consisting  of  a  prayer  by  Jed  Smith, 
who,  according  to  the  concensus  of  opinion,  seemed 
most  likely  to  be  heard.  Very  little  was  said 
about  the  two  for  whom  a  permanent  camp  had 
been  made  there  by  the  Grand.  They  had  been 
"  out  of  luck  "  and  they  were  "  rubbed  out."  So 
it  was. 

All  that  day,  and  for  two  days  thereafter,  the 
party  pushed  on  up  the  river  valley,  encountering 
no  more  Indians.  Evidently  the  Rees  had  de- 
cided that  Henry's  men  asked  too  high  a  price 
for  their  animals,  and  had  therefore  gone  in 
search  of  a  cheaper  market.  The  progress  of 
the  band  was  a  bit  slower  now,  for  the  wounded 
horses  did  well  to  follow  bare-backed,  and  their 


Westward  by  the  Grand  109 

packs  were  distributed  among  the  rest  of  the  herd 
that  had  been  heavily  laden  from  the  start. 

It  was  not  until  evening  of  the  third  day  after 
the  attack  that  misfortune  came  again.  The 
band  had  been  tolling  all  day  under  a  blazing  sun, 
hoping  to  reach  the  forks  of  the  Grand  for  the 
night  encampment;  and  as  the  time  for  halting 
drew  near,  the  men  began  to  watch  eagerly  for 
Hugh  Glass.  Bend  after  bend  was  rounded,  and 
each  bend  brought  a  fresh  disappointment.  The 
men  began  to  grumble.  What  could  be  the  mat- 
ter with  old  Glass  ?  Did  he  expect  them  to  march 
all  night  without  supper?  At  length  as  the  sun 
was  nearing  the  horizon  Major  Henry  called  a 
halt,  and  the  men,  sullen  at  the  prospect  of  supper 
without  fresh  meat,  began  to  make  camp.  They 
had  not  gone  far  with  their  preparations,  how- 
ever, when  young  Bridger,  who,  with  FItzpatrIck, 
had  been  riding  In  advance  that  day,  came  up  at  a 
brisk  gallop;  and  the  trappers,  noting  his  haste, 
leaped  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  In  for 
another  encounter  with  the  Rees. 

But  It  was  a  very  different  tale  that  Bridger 
had  to  tell.  He  and  FItzpatrIck,  while  riding 
near  the  forks  of  the  river  two  hours  since,  had 
pushed  through  a  bullberry  thicket  near  a  spring 
and  had  come  suddenly  upon  old  Glass  lying  as 
though  dead,  with  a  bloody  hunting  knife  beside 
him.  Not  far  away  lay  the  carcass  of  a  grizzly 
bear.     The  old  man's  face  was  "  all  scraped  off," 


no  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

as  Bridger  put  it;  "  and  when  we  lifted  him,  one 
of  his  legs  went  wobbly  and  he  groaned."  It  was 
evident  that  the  old  hunter  had  been  taken  by 
surprise  and  had  not  been  able  to  "  set  his  trig- 
ger," for  his  gun  was  still  loaded  and  the  great 
gashes  in  the  bear's  neck,  chest  and  belly  showed 
how  Hugh  had  fought.  Doubtless  he  had  dis- 
mounted to  drink  at  the  spring,  and  his  horse, 
terrified  by  the  grizzly,  had  bolted.  "  We  tried 
to  put  him  on  a  horse,"  said  Bridger,  "  but  he 
screamed,  though  he  didn't  seem  to  know  nothing; 
and  so  Fitz  said  he'd  stay  with  the  old  man  while 
I  came  back." 

It  was,  of  course,  impractical  to  move  the  whole 
party  on  to  the  forks  at  that  late  hour,  so  the 
Major  sent  two  men  back  with  Bridger  to  watch 
over  old  Glass  until  the  main  body  should  come 
up  next  day.  It  was  commonly  believed  in  camp 
that  night  that  the  old  man  was  "  done  for  " ;  but 
when  the  party  arrived  at  the  forks  next  morning, 
he  was  still  living  though  he  had  not  regained 
consciousness.  What  should  be  done?  As 
Bridger  had  stated,  it  was  impossible  to  move 
him;  and  certainly  the  whole  expedition  could  not 
be  delayed  indefinitely  while  one  man  decided 
whether  or  not  he  was  going  to  die.  Finally  two 
men  were  induced,  by  the  offer  of  a  liberal  reward, 
to  remain  with  the  wounded  man  until  he  could 
be  placed  either  on  a  horse  or  under  the  ground. 
Then  the  main  body,  impatient  at  the  delay,  be- 


Westward  hy  the  Grand  III 

cause  the  way  before  them  was  long  and  the 
scarcity  of  horses  made  their  progress  slow, 
struck  out  for  the  Yellowstone  over  practically 
the  same  route  that  Jed  and  Baptiste  had  taken 
in'June.^ 

Ill  luck  still  followed  Henry.  Scarcely  had  the 
party  crossed  the  desolate  country  through  which 
the  upper  waters  of  the  Little  Missouri  run,  and 
entered  the  valley  of  the  Yellowstone,  when  a 
large  war  party  of  Indians,  thought  to  be  Gros 
Ventres,  swooped  down  upon  it.  During  the 
brisk  fight  that  followed,  four  trappers  were 
killed  and  several  more  horses  were  wounded. 

During  the  evening  of  the  day  after  the  battle, 
the  two  men  who  had  been  left  to  watch  over  old 
Glass  at  the  forks  of  the  Grand,  rode  their  fagged 
horses  into  camp,  and  the  saddle  of  the  horse  they 
led  was  empty.  Few  words  were  expected  from 
them  by  their  comrades.  They  said  that  they 
had  remained  at  the  forks  four  days;  then  old 
Hugh  had  "  gone  under  "  and  had  been  decently 
burled.  They  had  brought  all  his  "  fixins  "  away 
with  them,  including  gun,  blanket,  powder-horn, 
knife,  and  flint  and  steel.  The  story  they  brought 
occasioned  no  surprise,  and  little  sorrow  was  di- 
rectly expressed,  though  many  spoke  kindly  of  the 
dead  that  night,  remembering  much  good  of  the 

^The  Missouri  Intelligencer,  June  i8,  1825;  Sage's  "Scenes 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains";  Ruxton's  "Adventures  in  Mexico"; 
Howe's  "Hist.  Collections  of  the  Great  V^est";  Cooke's  "Scenes 
in  the  U.  S.  Armv." 


1 1 2  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

graybearded  old  hunter  —  how  cool  he  had  been 
in  the  Ree  fight,  the  droll  things  he  had  said  on 
such  and  such  occasions,  feats  of  strength  he  had 
performed  when  a  keelboat  had  grounded  on  a 
bar,  and  many  lesser  matters  such  as  make  men 
love  men. 

Well,  the  old  fellow  was  "  rubbed  out  "  at  last, 
but  it  took  a  grizzly  bear  to  do  the  job,  and  that 
was  something.  It  would  have  been  worth  a 
year's  wages  to  see  that  bear-fight!  So  it  was. 
You  never  knew  when  your  time  might  come. 
Thereupon  the  camp  slept. 

Pushing  on  down  the  Yellowstone  without  meet- 
ing any  further  resistance,  Henry  arrived  at  his 
post  to  find  that,  during  his  absence,  the  Blackfeet 
and  Assiniboines  had  driven  off  twenty-two  of  the 
horses  he  had  left  there.  Within  a  few  days 
after  his  arrival  seven  more  were  stolen  by  the 
Assiniboines.  Obviously,  the  chances  for  success- 
ful operations  in  that  vicinity  were  slight.  So  the 
Major  decided  to  abandon  the  post  and  move 
back  up  the  Yellowstone  into  the  country  of  the 
Crows  who,  owing  to  the  hostility  existing  between 
them  and  the  Blackfeet,  generally  welcomed  the 
trappers,  not  only  as  allies  against  their  ancient 
foes,  but  also  as  a  ready  source  of  ammunition. 
Furthermore,  the  presence  of  Edward  Rose,  who, 
as  has  been  noted,  had  won  a  high  place  in  the 
tribe,  would  doubtless  do  much  to  insure  a  friendly 
reception  for  the  hitherto  luckless  band. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  twenty  men  were 


Courtesy  of  Prof.   S.  H.  Knight,  University  of  Wyoming 

The  Great  Divide  Basin,  which  Ashley  Crossed  on  His  Way 
to  Green  River 


The  Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri  River   (see  page  27) 


A 


'? 


Westward  by  the  Grand  113 

left  In  charge  of  the  fort  when  Henry  descended 
the  Missouri  to  reinforce  Ashley's  party  below 
the  Ree  towns.  Having  set  out  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Grand  with  eighty  men,  and  having  lost 
seven  on  the  way,  he  now  had  ninety-three  under 
his  command  —  a  formidable  party,  sadly  ham- 
pered, however,  by  the  insufficient  number  of  its 
horses.  Heartened  by  this  new  hope  of  a  peace- 
ful winter  among  a  friendly  people,  the  trappers 
marched  southwestward  up  the  valley  of  the  Yel- 
lowstone for  several  days.  Already  there  had 
been  heavy  night-frosts,  and  flocks  of  blackbirds, 
brawling  in  the  thickets,  proclaimed  the  coming 
of  the  winter.  They  were  travelling  now  through 
a  region  of  ready  feasts.  Bison  and  deer  and 
antelope  were  plentiful;  and  often,  topping  a  rise 
for  a  long  gaze,  they  saw  great  herds  of  what 
seemed  at  first  to  be  mules,  and  were  elk.  Every 
evening  the  hunters  came  in  with  goodly  horse- 
loads  of  fresh  meat,  so  that  there  was  singing  as 
the  sun  went  down,  and  in  the  warmth  and  glow 
of  the  embers  the  men  remembered  many  tales. 

Then  one  day  it  ^eemed  that  bad  luck,  like  a 
huge  cat,  had  only  been  playing  with  them,  allow- 
ing a  brief  respite  from  care  that  the  next  pounce 
might  be  crushing.  Toward  evening  the  advance 
guard  came  galloping  back  to  report  a  large  war 
party  of  Indians  some  two  or  three  miles  ahead. 
Grumbling  and  sullen,  the  trappers  began  to  pre- 
pare for  another  battle,  unsaddling  the  pack  ani- 


114  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

mals  and  making  a  breastwork  of  the  baggage. 
While  they  were  thus  engaged,  three  Indian  horse- 
men suddenly  appeared  on  a  bluff-top  several  hun- 
dred yards  away.  They  were  making  signs  of 
peace,  and  Rose,  believing  them  to  be  Crows, 
mounted  and  rode  toward  them.  After  having 
covered  half  the  distance  to  the  bluff,  he  paused  to 
exchange  signs  with  the  three  strangers,  then, 
pricking  his  horse,  he  hastened  to  join  those  on  the 
bluff-top.  Anxiously  the  camp  watched  the  panto- 
mime on  the  height  where  an  animated  confab  was 
evidently  In  progress;  and  there  were  many  who 
questioned  the  loyalty  of  the  ex-pirate.  Might 
he  not  betray  them  to  his  adopted  people  that  he 
might  win  more  prestige  with  the  tribe?  How- 
ever, Henry,  who  had  known  the  man  In  the  early 
days  of  the  Missouri  Fur  Company,  had  no  such 
fears. 

Rose  galloped  back  at  length,  bringing  the  best 
of  news.  The  three  on  the  bluff  had  proven  to 
be  old  friends  of  his,  members  of  a  Crow  war 
party  returning  with  many  horses  from  a  foray 
into  the  Blackfoot  country.  They  welcomed  the 
whites  into  their  land,  and  wished  nothing  better 
than  to  trade,  for  they  were  In  need  of  many 
things,  especially  powder  and  ball  with  which  to 
meet  their  enemies  on  the  north. 

When  the  Crows  came  up  and  went  Into  camp 
a  short  distance  away,  that  which  had  been  re- 
ported as  a  large  war  party  was  seen  to  consist 


Westward  by  the  Grand  115 

of  no  more  than  twenty  five  braves,  but  the  horses 
they  drove  were  many.  The  night  was  given  over 
to  feasting  and  trade;  and,  through  old  Rose  as 
interpreter,  the  trappers  and  Indians  exchanged 
tales  of  prowess,  backed  upon  both  sides  by  an 
eloquent  display  of  scalps  —  Blackfoot,  Gros 
Ventre,  Ree !  Had  the  white  men  fought,  and 
did  they  hate  the  Blackfeet  with  a  big  hate?  It 
was  enough.  The  Crows  would  be  friends  for- 
ever! 

In  the  morning  when  the  two  parties  took  up 
the  march  again,  both  were  richer  and  happier 
than  on  the  day  before,  though  their  combined 
wealth  was  no  greater;  for  the  Indians  might  now 
meet  their  foes  with  plenty  of  powder,  and  the 
trappers,  with  all  the  horses  they  could  use,  were 
entering  a  friendly  country  rich  in  beaver. 


IX        U^Udfittft^J^Ww 


JED   WRESTLES    WITH   DEATH 

IT  was  now  time  for  the  fall  hunt  to  begin,  and 
accordingly  it  was  decided  that  a  small  party 
should  strike  southward  along  the  eastern  border 
of  the  Crow  country,  locating  the  richest  beaver 
streams  and  trapping  on  the  way,  while  the  main 
body  should  move  on  up  the  Yellowstone  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Big  Horn,  there  to  establish  winter 
quarters.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Powder  sixteen 
men  were  told  off  for  this  undertaking,  William 
L.  Sublette  being  one  of  the  number.  Jed  Smith 
and  Thomas  Fitzpatrick  were  placed  in  command. 
Bidding  farewell  to  their  comrades,  these 
pushed  southward  up  the  valley  of  the  Powder. 
Beaver  sign  was  fairly  plentiful.  Traps  set  in  the 
evening  generally  yielded  satisfactory  returns  in 
the  morning;  and  the  better  part  of  each  after- 
noon was  spent  in  skinning  the  catch  and  prepar- 
ing the  pelts.  Travelling  leisurely  thus  through 
a  region  where  fresh  meat  could  be  procured  with 
little  difficulty,  the  men  worked  contentedly  to- 
ward the  Big  Horn  Mountains  that  at  length  be- 
gan to  lift  clearer  and  clearer  in  the  southwest. 
Here  indeed  was  life  such  as  these  young  fellows 

ii6 


Jed  Wrestles  with  Death  117 

had  dreamed  of  in  the  humdrum  of  the  settle- 
ments. Autumn  brooded  goldenly  on  the  vast 
land  of  no  restraint.  How  glorious  to  be  young 
and  free! 

For  a  week  the  party  kept  together;  then 
Smith,  with  five  men,  struck  out  westward.  Fitz- 
patrick,  with  the  balance  of  the  trappers,  kept  on 
up  the  valley,  hoping  to  fall  in  with  the  Crow 
nation  then  on  its  fall  buffalo  hunt  in  the  region 
between  the  headwaters  of  the  Powder  and  the 
North  Fork  of  the  Platte.  Smith  was  to  explore 
the  country  westward,  trapping  on  the  upper 
reaches  of  the  Tongue  and  Rosebud  as  he  went, 
and  meet  Fitzpatrick  returning  by  way  of  the 
Big  Horn,  whence  the  reunited  bands  should  pro- 
ceed to  winter  quarters  on  the  Yellowstone. 

For  several  days  Spiith  and  his  men  worked 
slowly  up  a  small  tributary  stream  that  came  down 
from  the  divide  between  the  Powder  and  the 
Tongue,  and  the  hunting  was  good.  Then  one 
evening  Jed  met  with  an  accident  that  seemed 
likely  to  end  his  dream  of  the  great  mysterious 
white  spaces  beyond  the  Rockies.  He  had  been 
setting  a  trap  at  the  margin  of  the  creek  and  was 
pushing  up  through  the  brush  that  fringed  the 
bank,  when  a  huge  hairy  form  towered  growling 
above  him. 

There  followed  a  period  of  torturing  dreams; 
and  when  he  awoke  it  was  night  and  he  was  lying 
beside  a  fire  with  his  shadowy  com^'ades  leaning 


Ii8  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

over  him.  There  was  a  roaring  ache  in  his  head, 
and  at  Intervals  a  stabbing  pain  shot  through  one 
of  his  hips.  He  had  been  felled  with  a  blow 
from  the  paw  of  a  grizzly,  his  thigh  had  been 
badly  mangled,  and  he  was  in  a  fair  way  to  be 
rubbed  out  when  his  comrades,  who  were  setting 
traps  In  the  vicinity,  had  rushed  to  his  rescue  and 
killed  the  bear. 

As  in  the  case  of  old  Hugh  Glass,  it  was  plain 
enough  that  Jed,  though  conscious,  would  be  un- 
able to  travel  for  many  days;  and  that  night  it 
was  decided  that  three  of  the  party  should  go  in 
pursuit  of  FItzpatrIck,  the  two  others  remaining 
to  watch  over  the  wounded  man.  For  several 
days  after  the  departure  of  the  three,  things  went 
well  enough  In  the  camp  by  the  nameless  creek; 
and  though  it  was  evident  that  Jed's  recovery 
would  be  slow,  and  though  signs  of  approaching 
winter  were  not  lacking,  there  seemed  to  be  little 
reason  for  uneasiness.  The  Rees  and  Blackfeet 
were  far  away,  and  the  Gros  Ventres  were  doubt- 
less hunting  buffalo  on  the  plains  bordering  the 
Missouri.  Deer  and  antelope  abounded  in  the 
broken  country  round  about;  so  there  would  be 
no  lack  of  fresh  meat,  and  Jed's  companions 
could  profitably  spend  the  time  of  waiting  in  col- 
lecting beaver  pelts. 

But  one  evening,  a  half  hour  or  so  after  the 
two  men  had  gone  up-stream  to  set  their  traps, 
leaving  their  horses  staked  near  the  camp,  Jed 


Jed  Wrestles  with  Death  119 

heard  a  number  of  shots,  fired  in  rapid  succession, 
and  a  medley  of  wild  cries.  The  sounds  came 
from  the  direction  in  which  his  comrades  had  gone. 
Considering  the  number  of  shots  and  voices,  there 
was  but  one  conclusion  to  draw.  Seizing  his  rifle 
and  powder-horn,  Jed,  at  the  cost  of  excruciating 
pain,  dragged  himself  into  the  midst  of  a  thicket 
nearby  and  waited  breathlessly.  Very  soon  there 
was  a  crashing  of  the  brush  up-stream,  and  a 
dozen  Indians  in  war  paint  came  cantering  down 
the  creek.  Catching  sight  of  the  camp  and  the 
three  grazing  horses,  the  band  halted,  dismounted, 
and,  gabbling  excitedly  in  a  tongue  that  Jed  did 
not  recognize,  proceeded  to  appropriate  the  ani- 
mals and  whatever  articles  of  equipment  that 
struck  their  fancy. 

During  this  time  several  were  poking  about  in 
the  brush  with  the  muzzles  of  their  guns,  and  Jed 
had  decided  that  his  last  hour  on  earth  was  about 
to  end,  when,  at  a  command  from  one  of  the 
party,  they  all  leaped  upon  their  horses  and  gal- 
loped off  down  stream.  But  during  the  few  mo- 
ments when  the  camp  was  being  looted,  the 
wounded  man  in  the  brush  had  seen  that  which 
told  a  tragic  story  —  two  dripping  scalps,  the  hair 
of  which  he  recognized  only  too  well ! 

The  dusk  fell  with  a  penetrating  chill  and  the 
long  and  terrible  night  began.  Jed  crawled  out 
of  his  hiding  place,  and  after  much  patient  indus- 
try, accompanied  by  torture,  he  managed  to  gather 


120  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

together  a  small  heap  of  dry  twigs.  But  though 
he  had  a  flint  and  steel  he  struck  no  fire,  lest  the 
Indians,  camping  in  the  vicinity,  might  return. 
The  blankets  had  gone  with  the  rest  of  the  equip- 
ment, and  there  in  that  chill  immensity  the  sick 
man  shivered,  thinking  of  his  dead  comrades  and 
haunted  with  the  most  gloomy  forebodings. 
Would  Fitzpatrick  return  that  way  before  it  was 
too  late?  How  many  days  would  it  take  to  die 
of  starvation?  How  many  nights  like  this  could 
one  endure?  Why  endure  the  cold  any  longer? 
Why  fear  sudden  death  at  the  hands  of  savages, 
with  that  slow  death  waiting  at  the  end  of  many 
days  and  nights  of  suffering? 

By  and  by  in  the  wee  hours  of  the  morning  he 
made  a  fire,  and  heartened  by  its  cheerful  glow 
and  warmth,  he  thanked  God  that,  for  all  his  woe, 
he  had  not  only  his  rifle,  knife,  and  flint  and  steel, 
but,  what  was  more,  the  much  worn  copy  of  the 
Bible  which  he  always  carried  in  a  pocket  of  his 
hunting  shirt  —  a  practice  which  had  occasioned 
considerable  sly  merriment  among  his  less  pious 
comrades. 

For  awhile  now  he  strove  to  read  by  the  dancing 
light,  and  his  memory  supplied  what  he  could  not 
follow  with  his  eyes.  "  He  is  chastened  also  with 
pain  upon  his  bed,  and  the  multitude  of  his  bones 
with  strong  pain.  .  .  .  Yea,  his  soul  draweth  near 
to  the  grave,  and  his  life  to  the  destroyers.  .  .  . 
His  flesh  shall  be  fresher  than  a  child's;  he  shall 


Jed  Wrestles  with  Death  121 

return  to  the  days  of  his  youth.  He  shall  pray 
unto  God  and  He  will  be  favorable  unto  him.  .  .  ." 

Jed  fell  into  an  uneasy  sleep.  When  he  awoke, 
the  fire  was  out,  but  the  dawn  had  come.  In  the 
new  light  the  old  sustaining  faith  came  on  him 
like  a  revelation.  God  was  in  the  world  as  much 
as  ever,  and  He  would  provide.  Yonder  ran  pure 
water  —  a  tremendous  blessing.  As  for  food, 
doubtless  his  comrades  had  set  traps  nearby,  and 
there  is  much  poorer  food  than  beaver  flesh. 

Having  prayed  earnestly  for  strength  to  endure 
the  pain  he  was  about  to  suffer,  he  dragged  him- 
self along  the  bank,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for 
traps.  The  first  was  empty,  and  the  second  also. 
Appalled  at  the  pain  that  his  venture  was  costing 
him,  he  lay  still  for  some  time,  nursing  the  fore- 
bodings of  the  night.  But  at  length  prayer 
strengthened  him,  and  he  began  to  drag  himself 
again.  The  third  trap  contained  a  beaver;  but 
it  was  an  hour  before  Jed  succeeded  in  bringing 
it  ashore  by  means  of  a  forked  branch  cut  from 
the  brush. 

It  was  nearly  noon  when  he  finished  his  break- 
fast; and  for  hours  he  lay  exhausted,  dreading  the 
passing  of  the  day.  Then  at  length,  when  the  sun 
was  nearing  the  western  horizon,  he  began  to  col- 
lect fuel  for  the  night. 

The  next  day  he  fasted,  for  he  found  no  beaver; 
and  still  another  day  came  and  went  without  food. 
Game  seemed  suddenly  to  have  deserted  the  re- 


122  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

gion,  that  his  trial  might  be  the  greater.  He 
turned  to  the  Book  for  courage.  "I  will  lift  up 
mine  eyes  unto  the  hills,  from  whence  cometh  my 
help.  My  help  cometh  from  the  Lord  which 
made  heaven  and  earth.  .  .  .  The  Lord  shall  pre- 
serve thee  from  evil.   .   .   ." 

In  the  early  morning  of  the  third  day  of  fast- 
ing Jed's  prayers  were  answered.  He  wakened 
suddenly,  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  saw  a  buck  deer 
drinking  at  the  stream  an  easy  rifle-shot  away. 
Without  lifting  his  head  he  reached  for  the  loaded 
gun  that  lay  beside  him,  and  turning  on  his  side, 
took  careful  aim  just  behind  the  shoulder  of  the 
buck.  At  the  roar  of  the  gun  it  went  down, 
floundering  in  the  mud,  and  then  was  still. 

Praising  the  goodness  of  God,  he  feasted  that 
day;  and  having  feasted,  he  dragged  himself  up 
the  torturing  slope  of  a  nearby  hillock,  and  lying 
there,  he  searched  the  empty  distances  all  day 
long.     Nothing  appeared  but  a  flock  of  crows. 

But  answered  prayer  had  enormously  strength- 
ened the  old  faith  in  him.  What  if  Fitzpatrick 
did  not  return?  No  man  who  knows  God  can 
be  alone,  and  a  way  would  be  made.  Doubtless 
his  hip  would  heal  enough  before  the  winter  set 
in  so  that  he  might  make  his  way  alone  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Big  Horn. 

For  three  days  he  fed  from  the  flesh  of  the 
buck,  keeping  constant  watch  over  a  flock  of  crows 
that  were  bent  upon  robbing  his  larder,  and  fright- 


Jed  Wrestles  with  Death  123 

ening  them  away  whenever  they  swooped  down. 
Then  what  remained  of  the  meat  went  putrid,  and 
the  crows,  in  a  noisy  black  cloud,  soon  stripped 
the  bones  clean.  Jed  watched  them  and  won- 
dered how  long  it  would  be  before  they  should  be 
feasting  on  human  flesh. 

He  spent  the  two  following  days  upon  the  hil- 
lock without  food.  Once  a  herd  of  antelope  ap- 
peared a  half  mile  away.  For  hours  they  re- 
mained in  sight,  peacefully  grazing;  then  they  dis- 
appeared. The  third  day  after  his  meat  supply 
had  failed,  he  did  not  attempt  to  climb  out  of  the 
creek  bottom,  and  somehow  his  prayers  seemed 
feeble.  He  thought  much  now  of  the  home  folks 
back  in  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  and  there  were  times 
when  he  visualized  them  all  with  a  startling  clear- 
ness. Would  he  ever  see  them  with  his  eyes 
again? 

^'  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd,"  he  read;  "  I  shall 
not  want.  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green 
pastures;  he  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters. 
Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil;  for  Thou 
art  with  me."  These  words,  oft  repeated,  added 
power  to  his  prayers;  and  during  the  fourth  day 
after  the  crows  had  picked  the  carcass,  God 
seemed  to  hear  again,  for  three  deer  came  down 
to  the  creek  to  drink  some  two  hundred  yards 
away.  But  when  Jed  took  aim,  the  mark  danced 
about  giddily.     He  fired.     A  jet  of  water  arose 


124  The  Splendid  JV  ay  faring 

ten  yards  short  of  the  drinking  animals,  that 
crashed  through  the  brush  and  disappeared.  He 
turned  to  the  Book  for  strength  with  which  to 
bear  this  disappointment.  "  Thou  preparest  a 
table  before  me  in  the  presence  of  mine  ene- 
mies.  .  .  ." 

Was  he  being  mocked?  What  had  he  done 
that  the  Almighty  should  desert  him?  Earnestly 
now  he  implored  forgiveness  for  his  sins  that  he 
might  die  in  peace;  and  a  soothing  quiet  came 
upon  him. 

The  next  day  Colonel  Keemle  of  the  Missouri 
Fur  Company,  led  by  the  three  who  had  gone  in 
search  of  Fitzpatrick,  came  riding  up  the  creek 
with  a  band  of  trappers.  These  were  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  Blackfoot  disaster  on  Pryor's  Fork 
of  the  Yellowstone  during  the  previous  spring, 
when  Jones  and  Immel  had  been  slain. 

By  securing  a  blanket  across  two  poles,  the  ends 
of  which  were  fastened  to  the  pack  saddles  of  two 
of  the  more  docile  horses,  a  litter  was  made  for 
Jed,  whose  wounds,  despite  his  lack  of  food,  had 
healed  sufficiently  to  admit  of  travel.  Pushing 
westward  across  the  upper  waters  of  the  Tongue, 
Keemle*s  party  came  to  the  camp  of  a  roving  band 
of  Cheyennes,  and  there,  in  a  few  days,  came  Fitz- 
patrick and  his  men.  They  had  met  and  travelled 
for  some  days  with  the  Crows  who  would  soon 
return  to  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Horn  for  the 
winter. 


Jed  Wrestles  with  Death  125 

Fitzpatrick  had  conceived  a  big  idea  during  his 
absence ;  and,  riding  beside  the  horse-litter  as  the 
party  travelled  down  the  valley  of  the  Little  Big 
Horn  toward  winter  quarters,  he  and  Jed  eagerly 
discussed  plans  for  a  spring  expedition.  A  Crow 
chief  had  told  how,  following  up  the  Sweetwater, 
which  flows  into  the  North  Fork  of  the  Platte, 
one  would  come  to  a  break  in  the  Wind  River 
Mountains  through  which  one  might  travel  as 
easily  as  over  open  prairie  down  to  the  Siskadee 
Agie,^  as  the  Indians  called  Green  River.  So 
plentiful  were  the  beaver  yonder,  the  Crow  chief 
had  said,  that  traps  were  not  needed;  one  could 
knock  over  all  one  wanted  with  a  club !  ^ 

How  this  story  must  have  fired  the  imagination 
of  the  wounded  man!  Here,  at  last,  was  news 
from  the  mysterious  white  spaces !  The  gates  to 
the  world  of  his  dream  were  about  to  swing  wide ! 

A  keen  northwind  was  bringing  the  winter  when 
they  reached  the  Yellowstone.  There  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Big  Horn,  and  not  far  from  the 
abandoned  post  that  Manuel  Lisa  had  built  six- 
teen years  before,  snug  winter  quarters  had  been 
erected  by  Henry's  men.  Shortly  after  the  ar- 
rival of  Smith  and  Fitzpatrick,  a  party  that  had 
been  sent  northwest  into  the  country  of  the  Black- 
feet  returned  with  more  thrilling  tales  than  beaver. 

Thus  united  again,  Henry's  men  settled  down 

1  Meaning  "  Sage  Hen  River." 

2  Article  by  "  Solitaire  "  in  St.  Louis  Weekly  Reveille,  March 
1st,  1847. 


126  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

for  the  winter,  trapping  the  streams  of  the  region 
and  trading  with  the  Crows,  who  had  come  up 
from  the  south  and  pitched  their  skin  lodges 
nearby. 


THE   GHOST 

THE  new  year,  1824,  arrived  in  the  midst  of 
tremendous  blizzards,  and  for  weeks  the 
trappers  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  eat,  sleep,  sing, 
clog  to  a  voyageur^s  fiddling,  and  to  swap  yarns. 
The  latter  occupation  offered  the  best  avenue  of 
escape  from  tedium;  for  man  is  so  constituted  that 
he  is  never  really  happy  except  when  creative,  and 
yarning,  as  these  men  understood  it,  was,  at  its 
best,  certainly  much  more  than  a  memory  exer- 
cise I  The  craving  for  sensation  during  those 
shut-in  days  and  nights,  together  with  the  keen 
spirit  of  rivalry  that  grew  up  among  the  story- 
tellers, often  spurred  them  on  to  splendid  men- 
dacities. The  old  veteran  from  the  Southwest 
was  perhaps  the  most  successful  practitioner  of 
this  primitive  art,  owing  partly,  no  doubt,  to  a 
native  talent  for  being  quite  unashamed,  and 
partly  to  the  fact  that  his  alleged  adventures  were 
sufficiently  remote  both  in  time  and  space  to  give 
his  imagination  the  proper  focal  length  for  seeing 
large.  • 

Was  there  anyone  present  who  had  never  heard 
127 


128  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

of  that  terrible  beast  called  the  carcagne?^ 
Well,  the  old  veteran  from  the  Southwest  had 
seen  one  with  his  own  eyes,  and  could  describe  it 
in  every  particular.  Not  only  had  he  seen  one, 
but  once  when  he  and  a  companion  were  roasting 
a  goat  away  down  yonder  near  the  Spanish  Peaks, 
a  carcagne  had  come  bounding  into  camp,  seized 
the  meat  from  the  fire  and  disappeared  —  all 
with  incredible  speed.  With  every  question  from 
his  audience,  the  old  man's  memory  seemed  to 
grow  richer,  until  the  original  version  of  the  inci- 
dent was  no  more  than  the  simple  musical  theme 
which  the  winds  and  strings  and  brasses  chase 
wildly  through  the  intricate  mazes  of  an  involved 
orchestration.  And  what  was  the  carcagne  like? 
Well,  its  hair  was  long,  coarse,  and  black,  and 
had  the  peculiar  property  of  growing  longer, 
coarser,  and  blacker  upon  closer  scrutiny.  As  to 
general  appearance,  this  strange  beast  was  a  per- 
fect wolf  from  the  tip  of  its  nose  to  its  shoulders, 
and  thereafter  it  was  a  bear,  though  it  was  far 
bigger  than  any  bear  the  deponent  had  ever  seen. 
Its  cry  was  indescribable,  and  was  such  as  to  strike 
terror  into  the  stoutest  heart. 

However,  marvelous  as  the  carcagne,  upon  re- 
peated examination,  proved  to  be,  the  telling  of 
this  tale  was  the  merest  preliminary  exercise  for 

1  In  his  "Rocky  Mountain  Life,"  published  in  1857,  Rufus 
B.  Sage  seriously  discussed  this  mythical  monster  that  had  then 
existed  in  the  imagination  of  the  trappers  for  a  generation. 


The  Ghost  129 

the  old  veteran.  His  memory  became  more  ath- 
letic, and  he  recalled  the  Munchies.^  And  what 
were  the  Munchies?  Why,  they  were  a  tribe  of 
white  Indians  —  whiter  than  Americans  —  living 
away  down  yonder  beyond  the  Gila  country.  The 
old  veteran  had  met  a  man  who  had  seen  the 
Munchies;  in  fact,  the  old  veteran  had  seen  them 
with  his  own  eyes.  He  had  not  only  seen  them; 
he  had  lived  in  one  of  their  huge  cities  for  some 
months,  and  he  could  testify  to  the  fact  that  they 
were  a  highly  civilized  people. 

It  happened  in  this  way.  Perhaps  the  young- 
sters present  hadn't  heard  of  McKnight,  Baird 
and  Chambers;  but  doubtless  the  older  men  would 
remember  how  those  gentlemen  had  set  out  from 
St.  Louis  on  a  trading  expedition  to  Santa  Fe  in 
the  spring  of  1812.  Well,  anyway,  the  speaker 
had  been  induced  by  those  gentlemen  to  accom- 
pany the  party  as  hunter,  his  great  skill  in  that 
line  having  already  rendered  him  famous,  as  one 
might  say.  Upon  entering  the  Mexican  country, 
the  party,  consisting  of  twelve  men,  was  seized 
by  the  Spanish  authorities  and  sent  to  prison  in 
Chihuahua,  there  to  remain  until  death,  it  would 
appear.  But  the  speaker,  being  an  exceedingly 
clever  man,  had  contrived  to  escape  —  in  three  or 
four  distinct  ways,   as  the  highly  circumstantial 

1  Another    myth    current    in    the    Early    West.     See    Sage's 
"Rocky  Mountain  Life,"  Chapter  XXIV. 


130  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

narrative  seemed  to  indicate.  Once  outside  the 
prison,  the  hero  of  his  own  story  fled  to  the  moun- 
tains to  evade  his  pursuers. 

For  weeks  he  wandered  about,  lost  in  the 
wilderness  of  mountains;  and,  having  no  w^eapon, 
it  began  to  appear  that  he  would  surely  die  of 
starvation.  Then,  one  day,  summoning  all  his 
power  in  a  last  desperate  effort,  he  climbed  to  the 
top  of  a  very  high  mountain.  And  what  did  his 
hearers  suppose  he  saw? 

The  old  veteran  was  a  master  of  dramatic 
pauses,  which  served,  doubtless,  the  double  pur- 
pose of  intensifying  the  interest  of  his  audience 
and  giving  the  narrator  an  opportunity  to  recall 
any  episode  that,  owing  to  the  well-known  care- 
lessness of  Chance,  might  have  failed  to  happen. 

Well,  on  its  further  side,  that  mountain  range 
dropped  sheer  a  thousand  feet  or  more  to  a  fertile 
cup-like  valley  apparently  hemmed  in  on  all  sides 
by  a  giddy  precipice.  And  lo,  spread  out  on  the 
valley  floor  was  a  vast  city  with  spires  and  domes 
that  shone  in  the  sun!  Yonder  was  food  at  last 
—  but  how  to  reach  it?  All  the  rest  of  that  day 
the  narrator  of  the  tale  sought  in  vain  for  a  means 
of  descent;  and  next  day  he  continued  his  search, 
until  in  mid-afternoon  he  came  to  a  ragged  fissure 
in  the  cliff,  down  which,  by  dint  of  native  clever- 
ness and  prodigious  strength,  he  managed  to  make 
his  way.  He  found  the  plain  to  be  far  vaster  in 
extent  than  he  had  supposed  (and  the  city  itself 


The  Ghost  131 

proportionately  larger),  so  that  it  was  not  until 
the  next  morning  that  he  reached  his  destination, 
though  he  continued  to  travel  most  of  the  night. 

The  Munchies  (for  It  was  their  city  that  had 
been  seen  from  the  top  of  the  mountain)  appeared 
to  be  unaware  that  any  other  human  beings  ex- 
isted, and  they  received  the  starved  trapper  as  a 
god.  Processions  and  feasts  were  the  order  of 
the  day.  Housed  In  a  huge  temple,  where  he  was 
daily  adored  by  thousands,  the  old  trapper  grew 
fat  and  dissatisfied.  Had  he  only  been  treated 
as  a  human  being,  he  might  have  been  there  yet, 
the  contented  father  of  a  brood  of  Munchies. 
But  being  a  god  soon  wearied  him,  and  he  began 
to  yearn  for  the  old  free  life.  Accordingly,  one 
dark  night,  he  made  his  escape,  reaching  the  fis- 
sure In  the  cliff  just  at  the  white  of  dawn.  He 
climbed  all  that  day,  and  when,  at  sunset,  he  stood 
on  the  crest  of  the  mountain,  he  could  see  the 
whole  Munchle  population  rushing  wildly  about 
the  plain  like  a  colony  of  agitated  ants. 

The  narrator  had,  at  the  time,  intended  to  re- 
turn; not  alone,  to  be  sure,  but  with  a  dozen 
hardy  fellows  properly  armed.  The  Munchies 
were  rich  beyond  calculation,  even  the  poorest 
citizens  eating  from  plates  of  solid  gold.  Fur- 
thermore, being  vegetarians,  because  there  were 
no  wild  animals  in  their  valley,  and  having  no 
word  for  "  enemy  "  in  their  vocabulary,  they  were 
without  weapons  of  any  sort. 


132  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

The  business  possibilities  there  were  certainly 
very  inviting! 

And  why  hadn't  the  old  veteran  gone  back? 
Well,  he  had  tried  to  go  back  two  years  later,  and 
a  score  of  others  with  him.  For  months  he  and 
his  companions  had  climbed  lofty  peaks,  looking 
for  the  city  of  the  Miinchles,  but  In  vain. 

Who  were  the  Munchies  and  whence  came 
they?  That  was  indeed  a  puzzling  matter;  but 
the  narrator,  having  brought  a  Munchie  coin 
away  with  him,  once  showed  the  same  to  a  priest 
who  declared  that  the  inscription  thereon  was  in 
the  best  Latin.  Doubtless  the  Munchies  were 
descendants  of  a  small  band  of  Roman  adventur- 
ers who,  having  crossed  the  Atlantic  something 
like  1,500  years  before  Columbus,  had  been  lost 
in  the  wilderness ! 

The  coin?  The  old  veteran  regretted  exceed- 
ingly to  report  that  he  had  lost  the  coin  some 
years  back  under  circumstances  involving  a  clash 
with  hostile  Indians  —  which  reminded  him  of 
another  story  well  calculated  to  discourage  any 
further  questioning  with  reference  to  the  myste- 
rious city,  lost  forever  in  the  wilds  of  Chihuahua. 

So,  mounting  to  the  greater  audacity  by  way  of 
the  lesser,  the  old  veteran  often  reached  dizzy 
pinnacles  of  improvisation,  entertaining  himself 
quite  as  much  as  his  comrades.  But  there  is  in 
this  cosmos  of  ours  a  story-making  agency  that  at 
times,  though  working  only  In  the  raw  stuff  of 


The  Ghost  133 

facts,  outdoes  man's  boldest  fictions.  That 
agency  is  generally  known  as  Chance.  The  least 
sensitive  prevaricator  feels  it  incumbent  upon 
himself  to  give  even  his  wildest  yarns  some 
semblance  of  plausibility,  which  is  a  matter  of 
logical  sequences.  But  Chance,  being  unhuman, 
is  under  no  compulsion  to  be  plausible,  and  is  ap- 
parently subject  only  to  that  weird  super-logic  of 
events,  the  course  of  which  is  non-predictable  by 
any  mental  process.  A  story  thus  created  does 
not  woo  credence  step  by  step;  it  simply  over- 
whelms incredulity  with  the  impossible  accom- 
plished, and  leaves  the  critic  grasping  the  broken 
chain  of  his  logic. 

Now  a  masterpiece  of  this  order  had  been  in 
preparation  ever  since  the  westbound  party  had 
passed  the  forks  of  the  Grand  River  during  the 
previous  August;  and  so  audaciously  improbable 
was  the  tale,  that  had  it  been  told  by  the  old  vet- 
eran of  the  Southwest,  it  would  probably  have 
been  received  with  hilarious  laughter,  for  all  the 
sadness  of  it. 

It  happened  thus.  The  blizzards  that  had 
ushered  in  the  new  year,  1824,  had  ceased  at  last, 
and  a  great  white  calm  had  fallen  on  the  wilder- 
ness. It  was  now  nearly  February.  The  men 
were  beginning  to  look  forward  to  the  renewed 
activity  of  the  spring  hunt,  and  Fitzpatrick's 
plans  for  pushing  westward  through  the  pass,  of 
which  the  Crows  had  told  him,  into  the  mysteri- 


134  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

ous  beaver  country  whence  all  streams  sought  the 
Pacific,  furnished  an  enthralling  topic  for  conver- 
sation. Even  the  Crows  had  not  penetrated  far 
into  the  region  now  about  to  be  visited.  It 
seemed  somewhat  like  planning  a  trip  to  the  other 
side  of  the  moon. 

Night  had  fallen,  and  the  hush  of  intense  cold 
was  upon  the  white  waste.  A  merry  fire  roared 
on  the  hearth  in  the  big  trading  room  where  the 
men  were  lounging.  Old  Baptiste  was  making 
the  Major's  fiddle  laugh  and  weep,  and  often 
when  his  bow  swung  into  some  old  Southern  jig 
tune,  the  younger  fellows  would  step  it  lively, 
aping  the  Negro  dancers  away  down  yonder  on 
the  plantations  that  used  to  be  home.  By  and 
by,  in  a  momentary  hush,  the  stockade  gate  was 
heard  to  rattle  at  its  bar  as  though  a  sudden 
wind  had  shaken  it;  yet  there  was  no  wind.  The 
men  listened  awhile,  but  heard  only  the  howling 
of  the  wolves  and  the  fort  timbers  popping  in  the 
great  freeze. 

The  music  began  again,  and  a  youth,  swinging 
into  an  extravagant  Negro  clog,  aroused  a  roar 
of  laughter.  Again  the  music  stopped;  and 
scarcely  had  the  silence  returned,  when  a  wild 
hoarse  cry  arose  outside.  Some  Crow  Indian 
was  there  at  the  gate,  no  doubt;  but  what  could 
he  want?  A  trapper  got  up,  went  out  into  the 
snow  that  whined  under  his  moccasins,  and,  fol- 
lowed by  the  candle-glimmer  that  spilled  through 


v; 


The  Ghost  135 

the  open  door,  went  to  the  gate  and  raised  the 
wicket  through  which  trading  was  sometimes  car- 
ried on.  Immediately  those  inside  heard  the 
wicket  clatter  down,  and  with  a  look  of  terror  on 
his  face  the  trapper  dashed  back  into  the  room 
and  slammed  the  door. 

"I  —  I  —  saw  — "  he  stammered. 

**  Saw  what?  "  asked  the  Major. 

"Old  Glass!"  whispered  the  trapper  " — all 
white  —  his  ghost !  " 

"  Fiddlesticks!  "  said  the  Major.  Getting  up 
from  his  bench  by  the  fire,  he  went  out  into  the 
starlit  silence,  and  the  men  thronged  to  the  door. 
The  dry  snow  fifed  to  his  stride.  The  chain 
clanked;  the  gate  swung  wide.  And  then  the  Im- 
possible came  to  pass !  The  men  saw  Henry 
walking  backward,  and  after  him  came  no  other 
than  Hugh  Glass  who  had  died  yonder  at  the 
forks  of  the  Grand  and  was  buried  there!  His 
hair  that  swept  his  shoulders  and  his  long  gray 
beard  matted  uponihls  chest  were  ghostly  with 
his  frozen  breath.  The  men  gave  way  at  the 
door,  and  Henry  backed  In,  followed  by  the 
spectre.  And  what  a  face  It  had  —  grotesquely 
blurred  as  though  seen  reflected  in  rufl^ed  water! 

The  old  man  stalked  boldly  Into  the  middle  of 
the  room  with  his  long  rifle  under  his  arm  and 
stared  about  him. 

"My  God!"  gasped  the  Major;  "two  men 
saw  you  die  at  the  forks  of  the  Grand!  " 


136  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

The  old  man's  chest  rumbled  with  unpleasant 
laughter. 

"  Show  me  these  men  who  have  seen  so  much," 
he  said.  "  Either  they  He  here  or  I  lie  there ! 
I'm  not  half  sure  myself." 

''  Yonder  is  one,"  said  Henry. 

Hugh  turned  to  where  a  trapper  crouched 
against  the  wall  with  abject  terror  in  his  eyes.  For 
a  brief  moment  the  ruined  face  of  the  old  man 
was  as  though  a  blizzard  swept  across  it.  He  set 
the  trigger  of  his  gun  and  clicked  the  lock.  Then 
his  face  softened,  and,  easing  the  hammer  down, 
he  strode  over  to  the  grovelling  man  and  kicked 
him  lightly. 

*^  Get  up  and  wag  your  tail,"  said  he;  "I 
wouldn't  kill  a  pup.  Where's  the  other  one  who 
saw  me  die?  " 

The  other  one  had  gone  to  Fort  Atkinson  with 
despatches  before  the  snows  had  come;  and  the 
other  one  proved  to  be  a  youth  whom  Hugh  had 
loved  and  befriended. 

"  Well,  well,"  remarked  the  man  who  had 
just  returned  from  the  grave;  "it's  a  long  way 
I've  travelled  if  yonder  gentleman  has  spoken 
truth.  So  put  on  the  pot  and  you  will  see  what 
an  appetite  a  ghost  can  have!"  And  having 
eaten  with  a  wolfish  hunger,  the  old  man  told  the 
story  of  his  resurrection. 

He  could  not  say  how  long  he  had  lain  there 
by  the  spring;  but  by  and  by  he  awoke  and  man- 


The  Ghost  137 

aged  to  get  his  eyes  open.  It  was  some  time  be- 
fore he  could  realize  what  had  happened  to  him. 
Then  he  knew  by  the  footprints  of  horses  all 
about  him  that  the  main  party  had  been  there  and 
gone  on.  The  ash-heap  of  an  old  fire,  however, 
showed  that  Major  Henry  had  not  intended  to 
desert  him.  Some  of  his  comrades  had  been  left 
behind  to  care  for  him;  but  where  were  they? 
And  where  were  his  '*  fixins  "  ?  Not  even  so 
much  as  a  knife  had  been  left  him. 

The  more  he  thought  about  the  matter  the 
greater  grew  his  anger,  and  he  swore  that  he 
would  live  that  he  might  avenge  that  treachery. 
Deliberately  he  set  about  the  difficult  business  of 
getting  well  enough  to  travel.  The  spring  fur- 
nished plenty  of  good  water,  and  over  it  hung  a 
bush  full  of  ripe  bullberries.  Also,  with  his  teeth 
he  was  able  to  tear  flesh  from  the  gashed  body  of 
the  bear;  but  the  meat  had  begun  to  spoil,  and 
soon  he  had  only  the  fruit  and  what  bread-root  he 
could  find  in  the  vicinity. 

After  some  days  of  waiting  he  decided  that  his 
leg,  which  seemed  to  have  been  broken,  was  hardly 
likely  to  carry  him  for  some  weeks;  so  he  thought 
it  well  to  begin  his  journey  at  once  by  crawling. 
Fort  Kiowa,  the  nearest  post  on  the  Missouri, 
was  over  a  hundred  miles  away.  After  weeks  of 
well  nigh  incredible  hardships,  sorely  wounded  and 
without  weapons,  he  had  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  post.     Shortly   afterward,   still   intent   upon 


138  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

revenge,  he  had  joined  a  keelboat  party  bound 
for  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone ;  but  at  the  Man- 
dan  villages  the  ice  had  closed  in.  Still  driven 
by  his  wrath,  he  had  pushed  on  alone  through  the 
winter  wilderness;  and  here  he  was  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Big  Horn! 

The  wrath  that  had  given  him  strength  to  sur- 
vive was  now  concentrated  upon  the  friend  who 
had  robbed  and  deserted  him;  and  within  a  few 
weeks  he  set  out  again,  riding  southward  by  way 
of  the  Powder  to  the  Platte,  eastward  to  the 
Niobrara,  down  that  stream  to  its  mouth,  and 
thence  by  the  valley  of  the  Missouri  to  Fort  At- 
kinson. But  the  treacherous  friend  had  gone  up 
stream,  and  Hugh  followed. 

If,  when  the  long  pursuit  was  ended,  Hugh  had 
wrought  vengeance  upon  his  youthful  betrayer, 
his  adventure  would  have  been  little  more  than  an 
astonishing  exhibition  of  brute  endurance  and 
ferocity;  but  In  the  end  the  Graybeard  forgave, 
and  that  fact  raises  his  story  to  the  level  of  sub- 
limity.^ 

^  A  detailed  account  of  the  adventure  will  be  found  in  nay 
narrative  poem,  "The  Song  of  Hugh  Glass,"  Macmillan,  191 5; 
annotated  school  edition,  I9i9> 


I  XI 

THE    FIRST    WHITE    MEN    THROUGH    SOUTH    PASS 

LATE  In  February  of  1824  the  monotonous 
days  of  the  winter-bound  party  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Big  Horn  came  to  an  end  at  last.  A  small 
band  of  trappers,  including  Hugh  Glass,  still  ob- 
sessed with  the  desire  for  revenge,  started  with 
despatches  for  Fort  Atkinson,  and  those  who  re- 
mained soon  after  began  the  spring  hunt,  trapping 
on  the  tributaries  of  the  Yellowstone  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  fort. 

Meanwhile,  waiting  for  the  first  authentic  signs 
of  spring,  Thomas  Fitzpatrick  and  led^inh  Smith-- 
were  makingready  for  the  mjjch  discussed  jourjiey 
across^*'m^'  Great    i3ivide  Into    the    mysterious 


:ountry  or  wnicn  me  ^rows  nad  given  so 
glowing  an  accounf  durmg  the  previous  fall.  It 
wai~agreeJ"-mIFT[rrT^f^^  un- 

dertake this  expedition  as  "  free  trappers,"  the 
necessary  outfit  to  be  furnished  on  credit  by  the 
firm  of  Ashley  and  Henry,  and  to  be  paid  for  out 
of  the  proceeds  of  the  enterprise  —  a  fact  which 
made  the  young  adventurers  all  the  more  eager  to 
put  their  fortune  to  the  test. 

The  snow  was  softening  in  a  southwind,  and  up 
139 


140  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  lower  reaches  of  the  sunward  slopes  a  pale 
green  glow  was  filtering  through  the  yellow  buf- 
falo grass  the  day  they  rode  away  from  the  fort 
and  disappeared  up  the  valley  of  the  Big  Horn. 
It  must  have  been  good  to  see  them  riding  forth 
that  day  —  a  score  of  hardy  young  men,  wearing 
the  savage  garb  of  the  wilderness,  well  mounted, 
and  driving  with  them  a  string  of  laden  pack- 
horses. 

Day  after  day  they  pushed  on  steadily  up  the 
valley,  making  but  moderate  progress;  for  the 
winter  had  been  a  hard  one  and  forage  for  the 
horses  had  been  scanty  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fort. 
Nor  did  they  seem  to  be  riding  toward  the  spring, 
though  they  were  headed  that  way;  for  the  land 
was  rising  rapidly  and  the  increasing  altitude  off- 
set their  southward  progress,  so  that  the  ponies, 
nosing  for  the  first  green  shoots,  still  tasted  snow. 
To  their  left  and  ahead  arose  the  dazzling  sum- 
mits of  the  Big  Horn  Mountains,  and  to  their 
right  the  Continental  Divide  was  like  an  irregular 
bank  of  glittering  cloud  floating  up  with  an  im- 
perceptible westwind. 

They  came  at  length  to  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tarns  where  the  Big  Horn  River  isc'.KS  fr^"^  ^ 
canyon,  and  began  the  crossing  of  the  range  by  a 
route  That  came  to  be  known  among  the  trappers 
as  "  Bad  Pass,"  and  that  was  described  by  Irv- 
ing (who  got  his  information  from  Captain  Bon- 
neville) as  "  rugged  and  frightful."     At  this  early 


First  White  Men   Through  South  Pass      141 

season  the  passage  must  have  been  especially  dif- 
ficult,  and  doubtless  two  or  three  days  wer£  spent 
Tn  crossing,  though  the  lengtfT  of  the^'canyon  by 
which  the  fiver  breaks  through  is  only  thirty  miles. 

Upon  emerging  from  the  mountains  they  found 
themselves  in  the  pleasant  valley  of  the  Wind 
River  which,  rising  in  the  Wind  River  Mountains, 
flows  southeastward  then  northward,  and  after 
breaking  through  the  range  that  had  just  been 
crossed  becomes  the  Big  Horn.  Here  on  the  9th 
of  September,  thirteen  years  before,  had  arrived 
the  Astorians  under  W.  P.  Hunt,  travelling  over- 
land from  the  Ree  villages  on  the  Missouri  to  the 
mouth  of  theXlolumbtaT  From  this  point  Hunt's 
trail  had  led  up  the  Wind  River  through  a  difficult 
pass  near  Jackson's  Hole.  But  according  to  the 
information  that  Fitzpatrick  had  received  from 
the  Crows,  he  should  here  strike  southward  to  the 
Sweetwater  which,  if  followed  to  its  source,  would 
lead  to  the  easy  open  gateway  of  a  country  rich 
in  beaver.      .    ^^-f?  fU/t.^z^-i^^ 

During  the  ascent  of  the  Big  Horn  and  the 
crossing  of  the  mountains  it  had  become  evident 
that  at  least  half  of  the  horses  were  too  poor  to 
be  relied  upon  for  any  difficult  going  that  might 
be  encountered  farther  on;  and  it  was  decided  that 
a  half  dozen  men  under  Smith,  who  no  doubt  still 
felt  the  effects  of  his  wounds,  should  remain  for  a 
time  on  the  Wind  River  with  the  weaker  horses, 
later  crossing  with  them  to  the  Sweetwater,  there 


^ 


142  The  Splendid  JV  ay  faring 

to   await  the  exploring  party's  return  from  the 
West  during  the  summer. 

Accordingly,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Popo  Agle, 
a  tributary  of  the  Wind  River,  Smith  went  into 
camp,  and  Fitzpatrick  with  fourteen  men  and 
about  twenty-five  of  the  stronger  horses  pushed  on 
southward  up  the  valley  of  the  little  tributary. 
Very  soon  after  leaving  Smith,  the  wisdom  of  the 
late  decision  became  apparent  to  Fitzpatrick,  for 
he  found  himself  in  a  "  confusion  of  hills  and  cliffs 
of  red  sandstone,  some  peaked  and  angular,  some 
round,  some  broken  into  crags  and  precipices,  and 
piled  up  In  fantastic  masses;  but  all  naked  and 
sterile."  ^  Emerging  from  this  grotesque  world 
and  travelling  as  rapidly  as  possible  through  a 
broken  sagebrush  country  where  the  banks  of  the 
creeks  were  often  crusted  white  with  saline  de- 
posits, they  came  at  last,  with  horses  half  starved 
and  fagged,  to  a  clear  pure  stream  flowing  swiftly 
eastward  over  a  rocky  bed  through  a  fine  valley 
dotted  here  and  there  with  clumps  of  cottonwood, 
scrub  oak,  and  aspen.  It  was  the  Sweetwater,  the 
origin  of  whose  name  would  seem  to  be  obvious, 
considering  the  purity  of  the  stream  as  contrasted 
with  the  saline  character  of  the  creeks  In  the  sur- 
rounding   region.^     Wherever    the    snow,    swept 

1  Irving,  Captain  Bonneville. 

2  The  original  French  name  was  Eau  Sttcree  (sugared  water), 
and  W.  A.  Ferris,  an  early  traveller  over  the  Oregon  Trail, 
tells  us  that  the  name  was  given  because  a  pack-mule,  laden 
■with  sugar,  had  been  lost  in  the  river  sometime  before  1830. 


First  PFhite  Men   Through  South  Pass      143 

thin  by  the  winds,  had  begun  to  melt  in  the  noon 
suns,  a  rich  growth  of  buffalo  grass,  well  cured 
during  the  winter,  furnished  excellent  pasturage: 
and  the  party  spent  several  days  in  camp  here,  that 
the  animals  might  recruit  their  strength  for  the 
journey  across  the  Great  Divide. 

To  westward  the  Wind  River  Mountains  ran 
like  a  broken  white  wall  along  the  horizon,  and 
the  men,  remembering  their  recent  experiences  in 
the  Big  Horn  range,  talked  much  of  the  difficulties 
that  might  be  encountered  yonder  at  this  time  of 
the  year,  for  the  snow  would  still  be  lying  deep  in 
the  lofty  passes.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  wait 
until  the  spring  thaw  had  cleared  th^  way?  But 
Fitzpatrick,  eager  to  enter  the  promised  land  of 
which  the  Crows  had  spoken,  and  trusting  in  what 
the  Chief  had  told  him  as  to  the  ease  with  which 
the  mountains  could  be  crossed,  chose  to  push  on 
without  further  delay.  .  Setting  out  up  the  valley 
of  the  Sweetwater,  they  travelled  all  day  over  a 
natural  road,  no  portion  of  which  would  have  of- 
fered any  serious  obstacle  to  loaded  wagons. 
Sometimes  the  valley  spread  to  a  width  of  three 
or  four  miles,  sometimes  it  narrowed  to  a  few 
rods,  but  always  the  way  was  fairly  easy;  and  the 
rise  of  the  land  toward  the  Divide  was  scarcely 
perceptible,  save  that  the  air  grew  steadily  colder 
and  the  snow  deepened  as  the  party  proceeded. 
That  night  the  sky  was  like  frosty  steel  and  the 
stars  like  broken  glass. 


144  ^^^  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Breaking  camp  in  the  white  of  the  dawn,  they 
pushed  on  again;  and  more  and  more,  as  they 
went,  their  horses  floundered  in  the  crusted  snow. 
The  Sweetwater  dwindled  to  a  little  creek  voice- 
less in  the  grip  of  the  winter  that  lingered  there, 
and  the  noon  was  like  a  mid-winter  noon.  They 
tolled  on  over  a  high  rolling  prairie,  the  ponies 
frosty-muzzled  and  frosty-flanked,  the  men's 
beards  whitened  with  their  breath.  By  and  by 
the  Sweetwater  had  disappeared.  For  some  time 
the  band  toiled  on  silently,  save  for  the  blowing 
of  the  horses  and  the  crunching  of  the  crusted 
snow.     Then  someone  cried:    "  Look!     Look!  " 

Long  vistas  of  a  vast  undulating  plain  had 
opened  out  ahead,  and  here  and  there  In  the  dis- 
tance lofty  buttes  (some  flat-topped  like  Islands 
deserted  by  the  sea,  some  carved  by  wind  and  rain 
Into  towers  and  domes)  seemed  staring  round 
them  at  the  immense  scope  and  loneliness  of  the 
surrounding  world.  It  was  the  promised  land  of 
the  Siskadee  Agie,  and  already  they  were  on  the 
westward  slope  of  the  Divide.  The  shout  that 
arose  from  the  band  died  without  echo  in  that  vast- 
ness,  and  the  sympathetic  neighing  of  the  horses 
was  a  feeble  sound. 

Now  as  they  floundered  on  they  noted  that  the 
air  grew  somewhat  warmer,  despite  the  waning  of 
the  afternoon.  Signs  of  noonday  melting  began 
to  appear.  Shortly  before  sundown  they  came 
upon  a  living  spring,  where  they  went  into  camp 


First  White  Men  Through  South  Pass      145 

and  spent  a  cheerless  night,  for  there  was  no  wood 
in  the  vicinity;  but  the  windswept  spaces  about  the 
spring  furnished  some  scanty  grazing,  for  the 
horses,  which  was  the  matter  of  chief  importance. 

All  the  next  forenoon,  as  they  pushed  on  in  a 
southwesterly  direction,  signs  of  spring  became  in- 
creasingly evident.  Yesterday  morning  it  was 
January;  today  it  was  late  March.  The  grass 
had  begun  to  sprout  and  the  willow  buds  were 
swelling  slightly  when  they  came,  in  the  late  after- 
noon, to  a  creek  the  bed  of  which  was  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet  wide.  They  were  now  on  the  Lit- 
tle Sandy,  the  waters  of  which  reach  the  Gulf  of 
California  by  way  of  the  Colorado;  and  they  had 
just  come  through  South  Pass  —  the  first  white 
men  of  all  the  thousands  upon  thousands  that 
would  pass  that  way  when  the  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia Trail  should  become  like  a  great  river  of 
home-seeking  humanity.^ 

That  night  by  a  cheerful  fire,  Fitzpatrick  In- 
dulged in  what  must  have  seemed  extravagant 
prophecy  to  many  of  his  companions,  telling  how 
ox-drawn  wagons  would  one  day  be  seen  trundling 
up  the  valleys  of  the  Platte  and  the  Sweetwater 
to  this  place,  thence  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Co- 

1  See  article  entitled  "  Major  Fitzpatrick,  Discoverer  of  South 
Pass,"  by  Solitaire  (John  S.  Robb)  in  St.  Louis  Weekly  Reveille, 
March  i,  1847;  article  entitled  "The  Plains"  by  Frangois  des 
Montagnes  in  Western  Journal,  St.  Louis,  1852,  Vol.  IX;  H.  C. 
Dale's  article,  "  Did  the  Returning  Astorians  Discover  South 
Pass?"  in  Oregon  Historical  Society  Quarterly,  Vol.  XVII;  H.  C. 
Dale,  "  Ashley-Smith  Explorations,"  page  93  et    seq. 


146  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

lumbia  and  down  that  river  to  the  sea.  "  Little 
did  he  dream  then,"  says  an  old  chronicler,  "  that 
he  himself,  twenty  years  after,  would  encamp  in 
that  passage  with  the  first  train  of  American  emi- 
grants destined  to  the  new  land  beyond,  and  who 
were  not  only  carrying  along  their  wagons,  but  all 
the  household  necessaries  for  furnishing  their  new 
homes."  * 
*5/.  Louis  Reveille,  March  1,  1847. 


XII 

TREASURE   AND   TROUBLE   THEREWITH 

MOVING  on  down  the  creek  to  its  junction 
with  the  Big  Sandy,^  and  following  the  lat- 
ter to  its  mouth  through  an  arid  country,  Fitzpat- 
fick's  party  and  the  full  tide  of  spring  reached  the 
Green  River  together.  The  long-leafed  cotton- 
"woods  and  the  box  elders  that  grew  along  the  river 
banks  and  on  occasional  islands  were  leafing  out, 
and  late  April  was  moving  like  a  pale  green  vapor 
through  the  willow  thickets.  Food  for  man  and 
beast  was  plentiful  here.  But  the  beaver! 
Everywhere  felled  cottonwoods,  dams,  and  dome- 
shaped  lodges  proclaimed  the  wealth  of  the  coun- 
try; and  the  men  set  to  work  in  high  glee,  for  none 
among  them  had  ever  before  seen  a  country  so 
rich  in  fur.  Certainly  the  Crow  chief  had  not 
been  over-eloquent  in  his  description  of  this  para- 
dise of  the  trapper ! 

Joseph  Meek,  a  famous  mountain  man,  has  left 
us  the  following  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  trapper  took  his  game :  ^     "  He  has  an  or- 

iThis    stream    was    named   by   Ashley    in    April,    1825.     See 
Chap.  XIV. 
2  Victor.    "  River  of  the  West." 
147 


148  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

dinary  steel  trap  weighing  five  pounds,  attached  to 
a  chain  five  feet  long,  with  a  swivel  and  ring  at 
the  end,  which  plays  round  what  is  called  the  float, 
a  dry  stick  of  wood  about  six  feet  long.  The 
trapper  wades  out  into  the  stream,  which  is  shal- 
low, and  cuts  with  his  knife  a  bed  for  his  trap,  five 
or  six  inches  under  water.  He  then  takes  the 
float  out  the  whole  length  of  the  chain  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  center  of  the  stream,  and  drives  it  in, 
so  fast  that  the  beaver  can  not  draw  it  out;  at  the 
same  time  tying  the  other  end  by  a  thong  to  the 
bank.  A  small  stick  or  twig,  dipped  in  musk  or 
castor  (found  in  certain  glands  of  the  beaver) 
served  for  bait,  and  is  placed  so  as  to  hang  directly 
above  the  trap,  which  is  now  set.  The  trapper 
then  throws  water  plentifully  over  the  adjacent 
bank  to  conceal  any  footprints  or  scent  by  which 
the  beaver  would  be  alarmed,  and,  going  to  some 
distance,  wades  out  of  the  stream.  In  setting  a 
trap,  certain  things  are  to  be  observed  with  care; 
first,  that  the  trap  is  firmly  fixed,  and  at  the  proper 
distance  from  the  bank  —  for  if  the  beaver  can 
get  on  shore  with  the  trap,  he  will  cut  off  his  foot 
to  escape;  second,  that  the  float  is  of  dry  wood, 
for  should  it  not  be,  the  animal  will  cut  it  off  at  a 
stroke,  and  swimming  with  the  trap  to  the  middle 
of  the  dam,  be  drowned  by  its  weight.  In  the  lat- 
ter case,  when  the  hunter  visits  his  trap  in  the 
morning,  he  is  under  the  necessity  of  plunging  into 
the  water  and  swimming  out,  to  dive  for  his  game. 


Treasure  and  Trouble   Therewith       149 

Should  the  morning  be  frosty  and  chilly,  as  it  very 
frequently  is  in  the  mountains,  diving  for  traps  is 
not  a  pleasant  exercise.  In  placing  the  bait,  care 
must  be  taken  to  fix  it  just  where  the  beaver,  in 
reaching  It,  will  spring  the  trap.  If  the  bait  stick 
be  placed  high,  the  hind  foot  of  the  beaver  will 
be  caught;  if  low,  the  forefoot." 

In  this  manner  FItzpatrick's  men  were  now  em- 
ployed In  the  reaping  of  the  rich  harvest,  though 
often  the  beaver  were  so  plentiful  that  they  were 
shot  from  the  cover  of  the  willows.  While  the 
greater  portion  of  the  band  was  engaged  in  hunt- 
ing, several  of  the  men  were  left  In  camp  to  skin 
the  catch,  dry  the  hides  and  form  them  into  packs, 
each  weighing  about  one  hundred  pounds  and  con- 
taining about  sixty  pelts. 

Within  a  week  after  arriving  In  the  Green  River 
country,  the  party  had  taken  enough  fur  to  make 
four  packs.  Still,  as  they  proceeded  slowly  down 
the  stream,  working  the  tributaries,  the  supply 
seemed  inexhaustible  —  and  beaver  selling  in  St. 
Louis  at  about  six  dollars  per  pound !  One  needs 
but  little  imagination  to  realize  with  what  high 
spirits  those  young  men  pushed  the  work! 

Another  week  passed.  Still  the  pelts  accu- 
mulated amazingly,  and  every  night  brought  feast- 
ing and  jollity.  Within  a  month,  at  most,  the 
band  would  be  starting  for  the  Pass  to  join  Smith's 
party  at  the  rendezvous  on  the  Sweetwater.  And 
what  a  tale  there  would  be  to  tell  I     All  the  while 


150  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  busy  trappers  had  come  upon  no  Indian 
"  sign."  They  seemed  to  be  the  only  human  be- 
ings In  all  that  vast  country,  though  they  knew 
from  the  Crows  that  the  tribe  of  Snakes  claimed 
the  land  westward  from  the  Pass.  For  some 
days  after  their  arrival  at  the  hunting  grounds  the 
party  had  rigidly  followed  Henry's  plan  for  mak- 
ing camp  in  a  hostile  territory;  but  soon  the  ap- 
parent loneliness  of  the  region,  together  with  the 
expansive  mood  of  success.  Induced  laxness.  Of 
late,  the  practice  of  bringing  the  horses  within  the 
enclosure  of  the  camp  at  sunset  had  been  discon- 
tinued, and  four  horse-guards  were  deemed  suffi- 
cient to  watch  the  herd  grazing  out  the  night  in 
the  lush  bottoms  near  the  sleeping  trappers. 

Now  an  ancient  Greek  would  say  that  these 
men  had  fallen  into  the  great  sin  of  hubris,  being 
drunk  with  good  fortune  and  no  longer  mindful 
of  that  humility  which  is  befitting  to  the  state  of 
mere  mortals.  However  that  may  be,  there  came 
a  night  when  their  surprising  run  of  luck  was 
rudely  broken,  as  will  now  appear. 

They  had  camped  in  a  bend  of  the  river  where 
the  valley  broadened  out,  rising  westward  by  an 
easy  grade  to  a  great  arid  plain.  The  fires  that 
had  burned  merrily  In  the  evening  while  the  men 
took  their  ease,  smoking  and  yarning  luxuriously, 
had  fallen  low;  and  those  on  watch  heard  the  snor- 
ing of  the  sleepers,  the  night  wind  rustling  the 
cottonwoods  and  mumbHng  In  the  willows,  the  con- 


Treasure  and  Trouble  Therewith       151 

tented  horses  blowing  and  stamping  as  they  nosed 
the  fat  pasture.  The  stars  swarmed  up  out  of  the 
dark  hollow  of  the  world  and  drifted  over  the 
mysterious  immensity,  showering  the  stuff  of  slum- 
ber. A  stricken  flint  spurted  out  yonder,  and  the 
momentary  glow  of  a  horse-guard's  pipe  painted 
a  weathered  face  upon  the  gloom.  A  cotton-like 
fog  crawled  over  the  river,  and  the  night  air  was 
tanged  with  a  hint  of  frost.  Hours  passed,  and 
the  wheeling  heavens  had  yet  three  hours  to  bring 
the  dawn,  when  the  night  was  suddenly  filled  with 
yelling  and  the  sound  of  many  galloping  hoofs. 
N  Thus  rudely  shaken  out  of  deep  sleep,  the  trap- 
pers leaped  to  their  feet,  dashing  about  the  camp 
in  bewilderment  and  shouting  unanswered  ques- 
tions. Some  of  the  less  excitable  men  seized  their 
rifles  and  fired  into  the  whirlwind  of  shadowy 
horsemen  that  swept  by,  waving  hide  robes  about 
their  heads  and  howling  as  they  circled  about  the 
panic-stricken  herd  and  sent  it  stampeding  up  the 
westward  slope. 

It  was  all  over  before  the  white  men  fully  real- 
ized what  was  happening.  The  flying  shadows 
disappeared  over  the  rise,  and,  dumfounded,  the 
trappers  stood  there  listening  to  the  lessening  roll 
of  their  horses'  hoofs  out  yonder  on  the  plain. 

Here  was  a  pretty  fix,  indeed !  Had  the  horse- 
guards  fallen  asleep?  That  mattered  little  now. 
What  mattered  was  the  fact  that  the  Snakes  had 
robbed  them  of  their  horses,  and  what  good  was 


152  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

all  this  wealth  without  means  of  transporting  it 
over  the  Divide?  They  slept  no  more  that  night 
but,  replenishing  the  fallen  fires,  sat  down  to  dis- 
cuss their  predicament  with  many  a  lusty  oath. 
No  one  had  been  hurt  —  a  fact  which  left  some 
room  ,for  optimism.  Many  of  the  wilder  spirits 
were  in  favor  of  starting  at  once  in  pursuit  of  the 
animals;  but  Fitzpatrick  saw  the  matter  in  a  dif- 
ferent light.  Here  was  plenty  of  beaver;  and 
since  they  had  come  for  beaver,  why  not  continue 
the  hunt  while  the  fur  was  good  ^  and  until  they 
had  all  they  wanted  of  the  precious  stuff?  At 
worst,  they  could  cache  their  packs,  return  on  foot 
to  the  Sweetwater  and  get  more  horses  from  the 
Crows. 

When  morning  came,  the  rich  yield  of  the  traps 
served  to  popularize  Fitzpatrick's  plan,  and  all 
agreed  that  there  would  be  time  enough  to  think 
about  horses  when  the  matter  of  beaver  pelts  had 
been  satisfactorily  handled.  Further,  immunity 
from  attack  by  the  natives  of  the  country  was 
fairly  certain  henceforth,  since  the  Snakes  had  al- 
ready taken  what  they  wanted  and  would  hardly 
be  likely  to  return  out  of  sheer  wantonness. 

So,  not  only  with  enthusiasm  unabated,  but  with 
a  heightened  sense  of  adventure,  the  men  went  on 
with  the  trapping.  The  Snakes,  however,  re- 
mained the  common  topic  of  discussion  about  the 

1  Fur  taken  in  the  early  spring  is  of  finer  grade  than  that 
taken  in  the  summer. 


Treasure  and  Trouble   Therewith       153 

evening  fires ;  and  more  and  more,  as  the  time  drew 
near  when  the  need  of  horses  should  become  press- 
ing, the  trappers  talked  of  reprisal.  Not  only 
was  it  a  long  way  back  to  the  Sweetwater,  but  the 
horses  that  Smith  had  there  would  scarcely  be 
sufficient  for  the  need.  As  for  the  Crows,  there 
was  no  telling  where  they  might  be  with  their 
herds  during  the  summer  —  away  over  yonder 
at  the  Powder's  mouth  as  like  as  not !  Why  cross 
the  Divide?  Hadn't  the  Snakes  at  least  twenty 
^Yt  good  horses?  Also,  weren't  fourteen  well- 
armed  white  men  as  good  as  a  whole  village  of 
yonder  rascals?  Also,  wouldn't  it  be  good  policy 
to  acquaint  the  Snakes  with  the  temper  of  the 
trapping  breed,  that  future  operations  in  the  coun- 
try might  be  attended  with  less  annoyance? 

The  audacious  proposal  steadily  gained  ground 
among  the  men,  until  it  dominated  the  camp. 
For,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
band  were  far  less  concerned  with  beaver  than 
with  adventure;  and  here  was  a  glorious  oppor- 
tunity for  laying  up  some  memories  against  the 
time  when  old  age  should  make  action  impossible. 
So  when  twenty  packs  of  beaver  were  made  up, 
it  happened  that  the  band  made  ready  for  an  ex- 
pedition against  the  Snake  tribe.  This  involved 
the  making  of  a  cache  for  the  furs  and  equipment, 
which  was  done  in  the  following  manner: 

Choosing  a  dry  place  in  the  midst  of  a  thicket, 
they  dug  a  pit  six  jfeet  in  diameter  and  eight  feet 


154  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

deep.  From  this  a  drift  was  run  back  sufficiently 
large  to  accommodate  all  the  impedimenta  of  the 
party.  The  excavation  was  then  carefully  lined 
with  sticks  and  dry  grass,  after  which  the  goods 
were  carefully  packed  within,  the  opening  to  the 
drift  covered  with  a  layer  of  willows  and  grass, 
and  the  hole  filled.  In  order  that  the  cache  might 
not  be  discovered  and  "  lifted  "  by  some  wander- 
ing band  of  Indians,  every  particle  of  soil  that  re- 
mained was  gathered  up  and  dumped  into  the 
river,  and  great  care  was  given  to  the  replacing 
of  the  grass  just  as  it  had  been  before  the  digging. 
Certain  bluffs,  observed  in  relation  to  the  spot, 
served  as  markers,  and  the  number  of  days  of 
travel  from  thence  to  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy 
would  determine  the  general  locality  of  the  cache. 
Having  thus  disposed  of  their  baggage,  and 
carrying  nothing  but  their  rifles,  ammunition,  and 
the  smaller  necessary  articles  of  a  trapper's  equip- 
ment known  as  ''  possibles,"  the  band  started  out 
on  the  trail  of  the  Snakes  which  led  in  a  northerly 
direction  over  the  arid  plain.  There  had  been  no 
rain  since  the  night  attack,  and  the  hoofs  of  fifty 
horses  (there  could  have  been  no  less,  counting 
those  of  the  Indians)  had  left  no  doubtful  record 
of  their  passing.  After  five  long  days  of  march- 
ing the  band  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Sandy,  and 
still  the  trail  led  on,  skirting  the  Green  River.  It 
was  noted  that  at  this  point  the  Indians  had  be- 
gim  to  travel  in  a  leisurely  manner,  for  the  trap- 


I 


Treasure  and  Trouble   Therewith       155 

pers,  though  afoot,  easily  covered  in  a  day  the 
distance  from  one  camping  ground  to  another;  and 
it  became  the  common  opinion  that  the  Snake  vil- 
lage could  not  be  far  away.  Accordingly  from 
this  point  onward  the  party  spent  the  day  camp- 
ing in  some  concealed  place,  and  moved  by  night, 
for  the  moon  was  full  now  and  the  trail  was  still 
easy  to  follow. 

Three  nights  they  pushed  on  up  the  Green  after 
leaving  the  Big  Sandy's  mouth,  marching  from 
dusk  to  dawn.  Then,  during  the  fourth  night 
when  the  moon  in  mid-heaven  was  flooding  the 
huge  spaces  with  that  purple  glow  that  one  sees 
only  in  high  dry  countries  and  in  the  staging  of  a 
melodrama,  the  scouts,  travelling  a  half  hour  in 
advance  of  the  party,  brought  back  a  bit  of  news 
that  set  all  hearts  pounding.  Scarcely  more  than 
a  mile  ahead  they  had  looked  down  from  a  bluff 
upon  an  Indian  encampment.  They  had  counted 
twenty  lodges  there  in  an  open  space  near  the 
river,  and  they  judged  that  no  less  than  one  hun- 
dred horses  were  grazing  along  the  bottom.  On 
the  far  side  of  the  herd  the  brush  seemed  to  be 
quite  dense.  By  passing  the  village  and  approach- 
ing the  grazing  horses  through  the  brush,  the 
scouts  judged  that  it  would  be  possible  for  each 
man  to  capture  and  mount  an  animal  without 
arousing  the  Indians.  Then  the  whole  herd  could 
be  stampeded  right  through  the  village  and  up  an 
adjoining  slope  into  the  open  country. 


156  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

After  holding  a  council  of  war,  the  trappers 
pushed  on  cautiously  up  stream,  the  scouts  leading 
the  way.  Soon  they  caught  the  faint  smell  ,of 
smouldering  fires,  and,  making  a  wide  detour,  they 
passed  the  encampment,  descended  Into  the  brushy 
valley  beyond,  and  crawled  southward  until  they 
came  to  the  edge  of  the  thicket.  There,  within  a 
stone's  throw,  was  the  Snake  herd  peacefully  graz- 
ing; and,  fortunately,  owing  to  the  lie  of  the  land, 
the  animals  were  well  bunched.  Farther  on  at  a 
distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  yards  was  the 
dusky  clutter  of  skin  lodges,  vaguely  Illumined 
here  and  there  by  glowing  embers;  and  beyond 
that,  where  the  valley  turned  abruptly  eastward, 
bare  bluffs  sloped  gradually  to  the  plain  above. 

Evidently  It  had  not  occurred  to  the  Indians 
that  the  white  men  might  come  afoot  after  their 
horses;  and  doubtless  they  knew  that  their  ancient 
enemies,  the  Blackfeet,  were  hunting  far  away  on 
the  Missouri.  The  full  moon  clearly  revealed  the 
peaceful  scene;  and  as  the  men  lay  there  consider- 
ing the  situation,  they  gloated  in  whispers  over  the 
fine  prospect  for  a  clean  sweep  of  the  herd.  Even 
the  dogs  had  not  yet  sensed  danger;  and  if  any  of 
the  Indians  were  awake  there  was  nothing  to  indi- 
cate the  fact. 

Now  swinging  their  loaded  rifles  at  their  backs 
by  means  of  thongs  that  had  been  prepared  for 
this  particular  moment,  the  trappers  crept  on  all 
fours  out  Into  the  open  and  approached  the  herd. 


Treasure  and  Trouble   Therewith       157 

Several  of  the  nearer  horses,  with  heads  held  high, 
ears  pricked  forward  and  tails  raised,  snorted 
alarm;  and  forthwith  the  herd  crowded  together 
and  began  to  mill.  A  dog  barked  in  the  village. 
Now  was  the  time!  Leaping  to  their  feet,  the 
trappers  rushed  to  the  nearest  bunch  of  jostling, 
snorting  animals;  and  it  was  a  tense  moment  dur- 
ing which  each  man,  seizing  the  mane  of  a  horse, 
scrambled  to  its  back,  knowing  well  what  fate  he 
might  expect  if  he  failed. 

Then  arose  a  yell  that  sent  the  herd  thundering 
toward  the  encampment;  and  after  it  came  the 
mounted  trappers,  howling  defiance  at  the  rudely 
awakened  foe.  Right  on  through  the  village 
rushed  the  frightened  horses,  making  havoc 
among  the  lodges  as  they  went;  and  after  them 
rode  Fitzpatrick's  men,  discharging  their  rifles  as 
they  dashed  through  the  population  of  the  town 
now  swarming  into  the  open  —  shrieking  squaws, 
crying  children,  shouting  braves,  barking  dogs! 
On  up  the  slope  beyond,  the  stampede  thundered; 
and  but  a  few  minutes  elapsed  between  the  time 
of  mounting  and  the  moment  when,  topping  the 
ridge  amid  a  tempest  of  flying  manes,  the  victors 
saw  before  them  the  dusky  plain  weird  under  the 
moon.  It  was  an  hour  before  the  horses,  fagged 
with  the  long  run,  fell  into  a  jog  trot  and  became 
manageable. 

Morning  came,  and  still  Fitzpatrick's  men 
pushed  on  southward  with  the  herd.     Nor  did 


158  The  Splendid  fV  ay  faring 

they  venture  to  camp  until  the  evening  shadows 
began  to  deepen  along  the  river  valley.  Many  of 
the  horses  had  strayed  from  the  herd  during  the 
wild  night  run,  and  some  of  those  would  doubtless 
be  picked  up  by  the  Snakes  before  long.  There- 
fore haste  was  still  necessary;  and  at  midnight  the 
trappers  set  out  again  into  the  south.  By  riding 
the  greater  part  of  both  night  and  day,  they  ar- 
rived safely  at  the  cache  during  the  third  evening 
from  the  Indian  village. 

They  now  had  forty  horses  in  place  of  the 
twenty  five  so  unceremoniously  borrowed  by  the 
Snakes  —  a  goodly  increase  on  the  original  invest- 
ment! 


XIII 

THE   RETURN 

DURING  the  night  after  they  arrived  at  their 
old  camp  on  the  Green  River,  Fitzpatrick's 
men  uncovered  the  cache  and  made  ready  for  an 
early  -Start  next  day,  while  the  horses,  carefully 
guarded,  grazed  along  the  bottom;  and  when  the 
sun  arose  the  band  was  already  winding  up-stream 
—  fourteen  mounted  men  and  twenty-six  pack- 
horses  laden  with  the  baggage  and  the  costly  bales 
of  beaver.  To  follow  the  Green  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Sandy  would  have  been  to  risk  a  clash  with  a 
party  of  Snakes;  and  so,  coming  at  noon  to  the 
mouth  of  a  creek  that  entered  from  the  east,  they 
turned  off  there  and  followed  the  course  of  the  lit- 
tle tributary  until  dusk. 

They  had  now  advanced  a  half  day's  march  into 
an  inhospitable  country.  Two  days  of  travel  to 
the  northward  were  the  headwaters  of  the  Sandy; 
and  when,  next  morning,  they  left  the  creek  and 
ascended  the  low  rise  that  bordered  it,  they  cursed 
the  Snakes  most  heartily;  for  they  should  have 
been  following  a  rich  valley,  and  now  they  saw 
ahead  of  them  a  desert  country  rolling  drearily 
away  to  the  sky-rim.     Nevertheless,  the  prospect 

159 


i6o  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

offered  some  compensation;  for  though  it  seemed 
likely  that  there  would  be  no  game  or  grass  or 
water  yonder,  neither  would  there  be  any  human 
foe. 

All  forenoon  the  ponies  travelled  northward  at 
a  swinging  walk  across  a  baked  plain  of  whitish 
clay  mixed  with  gravel,  where  even  sagebrush  was 
scarce.  Then  the  soil  became  sandy,  and  soon  the 
party  was  floundering  through  a  wilderness  of 
dunes  where  not  even  sagebrush  grew.  With 
drooping  heads  the  sweating  animals  labored  on 
through  the  thirsty  land.  Away  to  the  northeast 
the  snow-clad  mountains,  tauntingly  near  to  the 
eyes  but  discouragingly  distant  for  the  feet,  glit- 
tered in  the  white  glare  of  the  day.  The  sun 
burned  red  over  the  rim  of  the  melancholy  waste, 
and  disappeared,  and  the  air  turned  chill.  Night 
without  wood  or  water  or  grass ! 

Having  paused  for  an  hour  to  rest  the  weary 
animals,  the  band  forged  ahead  with  their  faces  to 
the  North  Star;  and  sullenly  half  the  night  they  la- 
bored on  through  an  empty  world  where  the  soft 
padding  of  the  hoofs  and  the  wheezing  breath  of 
the  horses  seemed  very  loud,  so  oppressive  was  the 
stillness  of  that  dead  land.  Then  when  the  Dip- 
per was  upside  down  above  the  Pole,  the  band 
halted  and  the  packs  were  taken  off.  Until  day- 
break the  ponies  nosed  and  pawed  the  sand,  nicker- 
ing pitifully  for  grass  and  water. 


The  Return  f   i6i 

In  the  white  of  the  morning  they  were  moving 
again  at  a  slow,  stumbHng  pace.  By  sunrise  they 
had  entered  a  rolling  prairie  country  where  once 
more  the  sagebrush  grew;  and  when  the  day  was 
half  way  up  the  sky,  topping  a  hogback,  the  lead- 
ing pony  lifted  his  head  and  neighed;  whereat  the 
whole  cavalcade,  with  ears  pricked  forward,  fell 
to  nickering  joyfully,  and  the  men  shouted  with 
them.  Yonder  but  a  mile  or  two  away  was  a 
winding  strip  of  green ! 

Soon  forty  horses,  freed  from  their  loads,  were 
thrusting  parched  muzzles  into  the  waters  of  the 
upper  Sandy  and  rolling  luxuriously  in  the  green 
grass. 

Thenceforth  the  trail  was  easy,  and  the  party 
made  good  time  up  the  Little  Sandy,  through  the 
recently  discovered  pass  and  down  the  Sweetwater 
to  the  place  of  rendezvous.  There  Smith  and  his 
men  were  waiting,  together  with  a  band  under  the 
command  of  William  L.  Sublette,  who  had  re- 
cently come  down  from  the  Big  Horn,  intending  to 
cross  the  mountains  if  Fitzpatrick's  experience  in 
the  new  country  should  prove  satisfactory. 

Sublette  brought  the  news  that  Major  Henry 
had  recently  started  down  the  Yellowstone  for  St. 
Louis  with  a  boatload  of  furs  collected  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Big  Horn  during  the  previous  fall 
and  spring,  and  that  he  intended  to  return  before 
winter  with  a  pack-train  of  supplies  for  the  men 


1 62  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

who  would  probably  then  be  operating  beyond  the 
Great  Divide. 

Fired  by  the  astounding  stories  they  heard  from 
their  comrades  who  had  just  returned  from  the 
fur  country  of  the  Siskadee,  Smith  and  Sublette  de- 
cided to  move  westward  as  soon  as  possible,  while 
Fitzpatrick  should  proceed  eastward  with  the 
beaver  packs. 

Fitzpatrick  now  conceived  a  plan  of  character- 
istic daring.  Why  use  horses  for  the  trip? 
Many  pack  animals  would  be  needed  over  yonder 
by  his  comrades,  and  to  travel  with  a  pack-train 
was  at  best  a  wearisome  business.  Why  not  make 
bullboats  and  drift  down  the  Sweetwater  and  the 
Platte  to  the  Missouri?  The  June  flood  was  now 
on,  and  it  seemed  that  such  a  journey  should  prove 
to  be  both  swift  and  easy.  The  fact  that  no  white 
man  had  yet  navigated  the  turbulent  upper  portion 
of  this  long  watercourse  acted  as  a  powerful  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  the  attempt. 

Large  numbers  of  bison  were  grazing  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  rendezvous,  and  the  three  combined 
parties  now  organized  a  hunt;  for  those  who  were 
going  west  knew  not  what  gameless  country  they 
might  traverse  in  their  wanderings  yonder  beyond 
the  Divide;  and  it  seemed  best  that  here  where 
game  was  abundant  they  should  lay  up  a  supply  of 
dried  meat  against  possible  famine.  Then,  while 
their  comrades  were  engaged  in  jerking  large 
quantities     of    bison     flesh,     Fitzpatrick's    men 


The  Return  163 

wrought  their  bullboats.  John  B.  Wyeth,^  who 
visited  this  region  eight  years  later,  has  left  us  the 
following  description  of  the  making  of  a  bullboat: 
"  They  first  cut  a  number  of  willows  about  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  diameter  at  the  butt  end,  and  fixed 
them  in  the  ground  at  proper  distances  from  each 
other,  and  as  they  approached  each  end  they 
brought  these  nearer  together  so  as  to  form  some- 
thing like  the  bow.  The  ends  of  the  whole  were 
bent  over  and  bound  firmly  together  like  the  ribs 
of  a  great  basket;  and  then  they  took  other  twigs 
of  willow  and  wove  them  into  those  stuck  in  the 
ground  so  as  to  make  a  sort  of  firm,  huge  basket 
twelve  or  fourteen  feet  long.  After  this  was  com- 
pleted, they  sewed  together  a  number  of  buffalo 
skins,  and  with  them  covered  the  whole;  and  after 
the  different  parts  had  been  trimmed  off  smooth, 
a  slow  fire  was  made  under  the  bullboat,  taking 
care  to  dry  the  skins  moderately;  and  as  they  grad- 
ually dried  and  acquired  a  due  degree  of  warmth, 
they  rubbed  buffalo  tallow  all  over  the  outside  of 
it,  so  as  to  allow  Ifto  enter  into  all  the  seams  of 
the  boat,  now  no  longer  a  willow  basket.  As  the 
melted  tallow  ran  down  Into  every  seam,  hole  and 
crevice,  it  cooled  into  a  firm  body  capable  of  resist- 
ing the  water,  and  bearing  a  considerable  blow 
without  damaging  it.  Then  the  willow-ribbed, 
buffalo-skin,  tallowed  vehicle  was  carefully  pulled 

1  Oregon ;  or  a  "  Short  History  of  a  Long  Journey  from  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Region  of  the  Pacific." 


ltS4  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

up  from  the  ground,  and  behold  a  boat!  '*  The 
willow  ends,  protruding  from  the  rim,  were  then 
cut  off  and  the  gunwales  made  firm  with  a  binding 
of  rawhide. 

Such  craft,  used  by  the  Indians  of  the  Plains  be- 
fore the  coming  of  the  white  men,  were  of  great 
service  to  the  trappers  in  navigating  the  shoal 
rivers  of  the  West;  for  a  bullboat  ten  feet  wide 
by  twenty  five  feet  long  would  carry  over  two  tons 
with  a  draught  of  no  more  than  four  inches. 

At  length,  when  sufficient  meat  had  been  dried 
and  two  boats  were  launched  and  loaded  with  the 
Green  River  furs,  FItzpatrlck's  men,  bidding  fare- 
well to  their  comrades  who,  under  Smith  and  Sub- 
lette, were  starting  for  the  country  beyond  the 
Pass,  pushed  off  Into  the  swift  current  of  the 
Sweetwater.  All  forenoon  they  sped  along  the 
winding  stream,  now  in  the  midst  of  broad  mead- 
ows dotted  with  occasional  sandstone  piles,  carved 
by  the  wind  and  rain  of  ages  Into  curious  shapes; 
now  plunging  with  the  arrowy  current  through 
overhanging  canyon  walls  fearsome  with  shadow 
and  the  sinister  voices  of  the  waters;  now  out 
again  into  the  broad  sunlight  of  a  pleasant  valley 
where  bison  grazed  like  tame  cattle  and  bands  of 
elk  raised  their  heads  to  stare  at  the  strange 
shapes  that  swept  along  the  stream.  Noon 
burned  down  upon  the  boatmen,  and  still  they 
raced  onward  with  the  June  rise,  expressing  their 
huge  satisfaction  now  and  then  with  snatches  of 


The  Return  1§S 

song.  Compared  with  the  plodding  pace  of  sad- 
dle-weary horses,  this  was  like  an  indolent  travel- 
ler's dream,  In  which  hills  and  valleys,  becoming 
mere  pictures,  obligingly  moved  themselves  to  the 
rear,  filing  past  In  a  hushed  and  stately  procession. 

The  sun  was  nearing  the  western  rim  and  the 
men,  congratulating  themselves  upon  a  good  day^s 
run,  were  thinking  of  camp,  when  they  heard  a 
low  sullen  roar  ahead  of  them.  Now  if  the  day 
had  passed  In  a  dream  of  travel,  yonder  sound, 
steadily  Increasing  In  volume  as  they  swept  on- 
ward, was  the  voice  of  approaching  reality,  as 
they  were  very  soon  to  realize.  A  few  minutes 
later  they  shot  out  Into  the  swirl  where  the  Sweet- 
water enters  the  North  Fork  of  the  Platte.  Then 
It  happened! 

Pressed  Into  a  rocky  channel  between  an  island 
and  the  shore,  the  combined  floods  rolled  as  In  a 
great  wind,  though  the  air  was  still.  Suddenly 
the  leading  boat  reared  upon  a  rock  like  a  frac- 
tious horse  taking  a  fence,  caught  the  thrust  of  the 
current  on  Its  depressed  gunwale,  and  capsized. 
In  another  moment  the  second  boat  had  done  like- 
wise, and  the  turbulent  channel  was  littered  with 
swimming  men  and  floating  baggage.^ 

Within  a  few  minutes  all  the  trappers,  sputter- 
ing and  puffing,  had  reached  the  shore.     But  what 

1  In  1842  Fitzpatrick,  then  a  member  of  Fremont's  exploring 
party,  was  wrecked  at  the  same  place.  See  Fremont's  "Report 
of  the  Exploring  Expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains."  Wash- 
ington, 1845. 


1 66  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

of  the  precious  cargo  and  equipment?  Some  of  It 
had  gone  down  never  to  be  recovered;  some  had 
drifted  into  shallower  water  below  and  stranded 
on  the  rocks.  Surely  this  was  a  rude  ending  for  a 
merry  day;  and  right  vigorously  the  drenched  and 
crestfallen  trappers  cursed  their  luck. 

Having  built  several  rousing  fires  on  the  bank 
(for  each  had  a  flint  and  steel  among  his  "pos- 
sibles ")  the  men  stripped,  hung  their  buckskins  up 
to  dry,  and  plunged  into  the  swirl  of  cold  moun- 
tain water  after  their  baggage.  With  great  effort 
they  managed  to  recover  the  boats,  some  of  the 
equipment,  and  a  sufficient  portion  of  the  fur  to 
discharge  the  debt  to  Ashley  and  Henry  for  the 
outfit  furnished  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Horn 
during  the  early  spring. 

Fitzpatrick  now  decided  not  to  risk  the  loss  of 
the  remaining  furs  by  taking  them  down  stream; 
for  being  at  that  time  still  unfamiliar  with  the 
North  Platte,  he  suspected  that  other  accidents, 
such  as  had  just  occurred,  might  be  expected  be- 
fore he  should  reach  the  broad,  quiet  waters  of 
the  lower  river.  It  seemed  best  to  hasten  on  with 
a  few  men  to  Fort  Atkinson,  inform  Ashley  at  St. 
Louis  as  to  the  newly  discovered  hunting  grounds 
beyond  the  Divide,  procure  horses  and  return  for 
the  furs.  So,  having  cached  the  remaining  beaver 
packs  near  the  scene  of  the  catastrophe,  Fitzpat- 
rick set  out  next  morning  with  five  men  and  one 
boat,  leaving  the  balance  of  the  party  in  camp  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Sweetwater. 


The  Return  167 

No  further  trouble  occurred,  and  the  light  craft 
made  good  time  with  the  high  water.  By  travel- 
ling from  dayhght  to  dusk,  in  two  weeks  the  little 
band  reached  Fort  Atkinson  on  the  Missouri. 
They  were  thus  the  first  white  men  to  navigate  the 
Platte  from  its  headwaters  on  the  Continental  Di- 
vide. At  Atkinson  they  found  a  portion  of  the 
party  with  which  General  Ashley  had  started  from 
St.  Louis  in  early  May.  From  these  he  learned 
that  Major  Henry,  discouraged  by  his  many  mis- 
fortunes, had  sold  out  to  his  partner  during  the 
previous  fall  and  retired  from  the  fur  trade. 
Having  ascended  the  Missouri  with  keelboats  to 
this  point,  Ashley  had  procured  horses  and  set  out 
with  a  pack-train  for  the  mountains  by  way  of  the 
Platte  valley.  However,  shortly  after  reaching 
the  Platte,  a  war  party  of  Indians,  probably  Paw- 
nees, had  succeeded  in  driving  off  nearly  all  his 
herd,  amounting  to  over  a  hundred.  Thereupon 
Ashley,  having  ordered  a  portion  of  his  party  to 
return  to  the  Missouri  for  more  horses,  while  the 
rest  remained  with  the  baggage,  had  returned  to 
St.  Louis.  Jim  Beckwourth,  who  was  a  member 
of  this  party,  tells  us  ^  that  the  General  had  re- 
cently been  married,  and  returned  "  to  transact 
some  affairs  of  business  and  possibly  to  pay  his 
devotions  to  his  estimable  lady."  The  "  affairs 
of  business  "  were  concerned  with  Ashley's  can- 
didacy for  the   Governorship   of  Missouri,   and 

i"The   Life   and  Adventures  of  James  P.   Beckwourth,"   by 
T.  D.  Bonner. 


1 68  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

doubtless  he  returned  for  the  election,  which  took 
place  in  August  and  resulted  in  his  defeat. 

Immediately  upon  his  arrival  at  Fort  Atkinson, 
Fitzpatrick  wrote  a  letter  to  General  Ashley  at 
St.  Louis,  telling  of  the  easy  pass  he  had  discov- 
ered, of  the  rich  beaver  country  along  the  Green 
River,  of  his  affair  with  the  Snake  Indians,  and  of 
his  wreck  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sweetwater.  Early 
In  September,  having  procured  a  supply  of  horses, 
he  set  forth  up  the  valley  of  the  Platte  to  bring  in 
his  cached  furs  and  the  men  he  had  left  in  camp 
there.  The  round  trip  was  made  in  excellent 
time,  for  on  October  26th  he  was  back  at  Fort  At- 
kinson with  all  his  party  and  the  pelts  that  had 
been  recovered  from  the  turbulent  waters  of  the 
North  Platte. 

Five  days  before  Fitzpatrlck's  return.  General 
Ashley  had  arrived  from  St.  Louis,  intent  upon 
starting  at  once  for  the  Green  River  country  be- 
yond the  Great  Divide,  that  he  might  arrive  In 
time  for  the  spring  hunt  In  which  the  best  furs 
were  taken.  It  was  a  daring  If  not  a  foolhardy 
project;  for  the  distance  to  be  traversed  was  at 
least  eight  hundred  miles  by  the  shortest  possible 
route;  winter  was  already  beginning,  and  the  prob- 
lem of  feeding  both  men  and  horses  on  the  way 
was  likely  to  prove  extremely  difficult. 

When  Ashley  entered  the  fur  trade  two  years 
before.  It  was  his  intention  to  operate  on  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Missouri  and  Yellowstone,  building 


The  Return  169 

forts  at  convenient  points  from  which  his  bands 
of  trappers  should  receive  their  suppHes.  Also> 
he  had  hoped  to  penetrate  the  region  of  the  upper 
Columbia  by  way  of  the  North  Pass  of  Lewis  and 
Clarkr  But,  as  we  have  seen,  his  experiences  on 
the  Missouri  and  Yellowstone  had  been  rather 
discouraging,  owing  to  the  widespread  hostility  of 
the  Plains  Indians,  and  to  the  formidable  competi- 
tion of  the  Missouri  Fur  Company.  Now  that 
Fitzpatrick  had  discovered  a  rich  country  beyond 
the  Divide  and  an  easy  trail  thereto,  Ashley  had 
decided  to  abandon  the  Missouri-Yellowstone  re- 
l  ^ion  and  to  push  operations  in  the  new  territory 
^^ri  a  different  plan.  Whereas,  before,  he  had  in- 
tended to  build  permanent  posts  at  various  stra- 
tegic points,  he  now  decided  to  sweep  vast  scopes 
of  country  by  means  of  wandering  bands  of  trap- 
pers that,  at  a  certain  time  each  year,  should  bring 
the  furs  they  had  collected  to  some  convenient 
place  previously  agreed  upon,  there  to  receive  sup- 
plies for  the  following  year.  This  annual  gath- 
ering of  the  far-flung  trappers  was  known  as  the 
rendezvous.  Though  this  plan  had  already  been 
employed  to  some  extent  by  both  the  British  and 
American  traders,  it  was  due  to  General  Ashley's 
operations  during  the  next  few  years  that  the  ren- 
dezvous became  one  of  the  most  important  and 
picturesque  features  of  the  fur  trade. 

L 


XIV 

Ashley's  long  winter  trail* 

ON  November  3rd,  1824,  General  Ashley  left 
Fort  Atkinson  for  the  far  off  Green  River, 
intending  to  proceed  by  way  of  the  Platte,  the 
North  Fork  of  the  Platte,  the  Sweetwater,  and 
South  Pass,  which  Fitzpatrick  had  discovered  dur- 
ing the  spring  of  that  year.  In  mid-afternoon  of 
the  second  day  out  he  came  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Loup  River  where  the  greater  portion  of  his  party 
had  been  encamped  since  his  return  to  St.  I.ouis 
during  the  early  summer.  There  were  twenty- 
five  men  in  this  band,  and  they  had  in  charge  fifty 
pack-horses,  together  with  all  the  necessary  im- 
pedimenta of  a  trapping  expedition.  During  the 
summer  and  early  fall  they  had  fared  well  enough, 
having  succeeded  in  collecting  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  beaver  both  by  trapping  and  by  trading 
with  occasional  bands  of  Indians.  However,  dur- 
ing the  recent  weeks  they  had  been  rather  poorly 
fed,  as  wild  game,  upon  which  they  were  forced 
to  depend  for  food,  had  become  scarce  in  that  re- 

1  This  and  the  following  chapter  are  based  on  General  Ash- 
ley's account  given  in  a  letter  to  General  Atkinson,  dated  St. 
Louis,  Dec.  i,  1825;  Ashley  MSS,  Missouri  Hist.  Society.  The 
letter  is  quoted  in  full  by  Dale. 

170 


X 


Ashley^ s  Long  Winter  Trail  171 

glon.  Great  was  their  disappointment  when, 
after  looking  forward  to  Ashley's  coming  with 
supplies,  they  learned  that  he  had  brought  nothing 
with  him,  but  planned  to  purchase  from  the  Paw- 
nees, whose  village  was  located  some  fifty  miles 
up  the  Loup  valley,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  pro- 
visions to  last  until  the  buffalo  herds  should  be 
reached.  Certainly  the  long  and  hazardous  jour- 
ney was  not  beginning  well.  There  was  no  sing- 
ing in  camp  that  night,  and  no  one  was  in  a  mood 
for  telling  stories.  Winter  in  a  wild  land  lay 
ahead  of  these  men,  and  there  was  no  telling  how 
far  away  the  bison  might  be. 

Of  the  twenty  six  men  who  sat  in  camp  that 
night  at  the  mouth  of  the  Loup,  only  nine  are  re- 
membered by  name:  General  Ashley,  Thomas 
Fitzpatrick,  Robert  Campbell,  James  P.  Beck- 
wourth,  Moses  Rarns  (generally  known  as 
"Black"  Harris),  one  Clement  (or  Claymore), 
Baptiste  La  Jeunesse,  one  Le  Brache,  and  one 
Dorway.  The  first  three  are  great  names  in  the 
annals  of  the  Early  West.  Beckwourth,  then  on 
his  first  trip  to  the  mountains,  later  became  a  chief 
of  the  Crow  tribe  and  won  great  distinction  among 
his  adopted  people  in  their  many  battles  with  the 
Blackfeet.  At  one  time  he  was  celebrated  from 
the  Missouri  to  the  Pacific  for  his  yarns,  in  all  of 
which  he  figured  as  the  hero.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  poisoned  by  the  Crows  in  1867  at  a  farewell 
dog-feast  on  the  eve  of  his  intended  departure  for 


172  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

his  new  home  on  Cherry  Creek,  Colorado;  for 
the  Crows  attributed  their  former  success  in  the 
Blackfoot  wars  to  their  white  chief  and  wished  to 
keep  his  bones  among  them  if  they  could  not  have 
the  living  man.^  "  Black  "  Harris  seems  to  have 
been  another  well  known  spinner  of  yarns,  in  his 
day,  and  greatly  in  love  with  the  marvelous.  He 
must  have  been  more  than  ordinarily  courageous 
and  dependable,  for  Sublette  more  than  once  chose 
him  for  a  companion  on  his  long  winter  journeys. 
Of  the  last  four,  Clement  (or  Claymore)  is  re- 
membered vaguely  as  a  leader  of  one  of  the  Ash- 
ley parties  on  Green  River  during  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1825;  La  Jeunesse  is  only  a  name,  re- 
corded by  Beckwourth  as  that  of  his  youthful 
friend;  Le  Brache  did  nothing  more  important 
than  to  get  himself  killed  by  Indians  during  the 
next  summer;  and  Dorway,  who  according  to 
Beckwourth  was  a  Frenchman  and  a  good  swim- 
mer, has  left  us  nothing  but  his  name,  and  even 
that  is  evidently  misspelled ! 

Early  in  the  morning  of  November  6th  the 
party  broke  camp  and  moved  up  the  Loup  River 
in  the  direction  of  the  Pawnee  Loup  village,  three 
couriers  having  been  sent  in  advance  to  inform 
the  Indians  that  Ashley  was  coming  to  trade  with 
them.  During  the  afternoon  it  began  to  snow 
heavily  from  the  Northeast.     All  night  the  snow 

1  •*  Life  and  Adventures  of  James  P.  Beckwourth."     Coutant's 
"History  of  W^yoming"  gives  an  account  of  Beckwourth's  death. 


Ashley's  Long  Winter  Trail  173 

fell,  and  all  the  next  forenoon  the  string  of  men 
and  horses  pushed  on  through  a  white  world, 
soundless  but  for  the  muffled  footfall  of  the  pack- 
animals  and  the  whispering  of  the  great  tumbling 
flakes.  By  noon  the  Northwest  wind  began  to 
blow,  and  by  dusk  it  was  a  howling  fury. 

During  this  time  the  rations  of  the  men  con- 
sisted of  a  half  pint  of  flour  per  day  for  each  man; 
and  now  that  the  grass  was  covered  two  feet  deep, 
the  horses  were  fed  on  cottonwood  bark  whenever 
the  edible  variety  could  be  found.  However,  the 
men  struggled  on  in  fairly  good  spirits,  looking 
forward  to  a  plenteous  supply  of  food  in  the  In- 
dian town. 

The  8th  day  of  November  dawned  windless  and 
bitter  cold,  and  the  men  labored  on  patiently 
through  the  drifts  up  the  Loup  valley,  thinking  of 
the  feasts  they  were  going  to  have  when  they 
reached  the  Pawnee  Loups.  It  was  mid-forenoon 
when  the  three  couriers  were  seen  returning  along 
the  rise  that  flanked  the  river,  and  these  were 
hailed  with  a  great  cry  in  which  the  horses  joined. 
But  it  was  not  good  news  that  the  couriers 
brought;  for  the  Pawnee  Loups  had  already  left 
their  village  for  their  wintering  ground  at  the 
Forks  of  the  Platte." 

That  evening  the  poorest  of  the  horses  was 
killed  for  meat. 

Two  weeks  passed  by,  during  which  frequent  at- 
tempts were  made  to  advance;  but  the  cold  was 


174  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

intense,  the  snow  deep,  and  most  of  the  time  a 
blizzard  wind  was  blowing.  From  the  day  when 
the  first  horse  was  killed  until  the  21st  of  No- 
vember, the  party  was  able  to  advance  only  about 
twelve  miles.  By  this  time  many  of  the  animals 
were  enfeebled  with  hunger  and  cold,  and  several 
had  died,  their  carcasses  filling  the  kettles  of  the 
half  starved  men. 

On  the  22nd  of  November,  the  desperate  party 
struck  out  across  country  southward  and  managed 
to  reach  the  valley  of  the  Platte  fifteen  miles 
away.  There,  by  good  fortune,  they  found  an 
abundance  of  game  for  themselves  and  a  good  sup- 
ply of  rushes  for  the  horses.  Having  spent  all 
the  next  day  in  feasting  about  cozy  fires  in  the  pro- 
tection of  the  timber  that  covered  the  bottom 
lands,  they  set  out  once  more  on  the  morning  of 
the  24th.  For  ten  days  they  toiled  on  up  the  val- 
ley of  the  Platte,  which  yielded  plenty  of  fuel  and 
horse  feed,  and  their  hunters  kept  them  well  sup- 
plied with  the  flesh  of  deer  and  elk.  On  Decem- 
ber 3rd  they  reached  Plumb  Point,  near  the  site  of 
the  present  city  of  Kearney;  and  there  the  Grand 
Pawnees  were  encamped,  being  on  the  way  to  their 
wintering  ground  on  the  Arkansas  River. 

These  Indians  strongly  advised  Ashley  to  give 
up  his  original  intention  and  to  winter  at  the 
Forks  of  the  Platte,  which,  they  said,  was  the  only 
place  between  Plumb  Point  and  the  mountains 
where  fuel  and  horse  feed  could  be  found  in  suf- 


Ashley's  Long  Winter  Trail  175 

ficient  quantities.  Though  the  weather  was  now 
extremely  cold  and  stormy,  Ashley  resumed  the 
march  next  piorning.  About  midday  the  party 
overtook  the  tribe  of  Pawnee  Loups,  whose  de- 
serted village  on  the  Loup  River  had  so  keenly  dis- 
appointed the  half  starved  trappers  during  the  sec- 
ond week  of  November.  For  eight  days  Ashley's 
men  travelled  in  company  with  these  Indians, 
reaching  the  latter's  wintering  place  at  the  Forks 
of  the  Platte  on  December  12th.  The  suffering 
of  the  men  during  those  eight  days  of  blizzard 
weather  had  been  intense,  and  half  of  the  horses 
had  fallen  by  the  way.  So  Ashley  decided  to 
spend  a  fortnight  at  this  place  in  order  to  purchase 
horses  and  supplies,  and  to  prepare  his  party  for 
the  difficult  journey  that  lay  ahead,  for  he  had 
been  told  that  little  wood  was  to  be  found  within 
the  next  two  hundred  miles. 

The  weather  now  turned  fine,  and  though  the 
hill-lands  were  still  covered  with  two  feet  of  snow, 
the  valleys  in  many  places  had  been  swept  bare  by 
the  great  winds  and  afforded  plenty  of  dry  grass 
and  rushes  for  the  horses.  "  The  day  after  our 
arrival  at  the  Forks,"  writes  Ashley,  "  the  chiefs 
and  principal  men  of  the  Loups  assembled  in  coun- 
cil for  the  purpose  of  learning  my  wants  and  to  de- 
vise means  to  supply  them.  I  made  known  to 
them  that  I  wished  to  procure  twenty  five  horses 
and  a  few  buffalo  robes,  and  to  give  my  men  an 
opportunity   of  providing  more   amply   for   the 


I 


176  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

further  prosecution  of  the  journey.  I  requested 
that  we  might  be  furnished  with  meat  to  subsist 
upon  while  we  remained  with  them,  and  promised 
that  a  liberal  remuneration  should  be  made  for 
any  services  they  might  render  me.  After  their 
dehberations  were  closed,  they  came  to  this  con- 
clusion that  notwithstanding  they  had  been  over- 
taken by  unusually  severe  weather  before  reaching 
their  wintering  ground,  by  which  they  had  lost  a 
great  number  of  horses,  they  would  comply  with 
my  requisition  in  regard  to  horses  and  other  neces- 
saries as  far  as  their  means  would  admit.  Sev- 
eral speeches  were  made  by  the  chiefs  during  the 
council,  all  expressive  in  the  highest  degree  of  their 
friendly  disposition  toward  our  government,  and 
their  conduct  in  every  particular  manifested  the 
sincerity  of  their  declarations.'* 

As  a  result  of  these  negotiations,  Ashley  pro- 
cured twenty  three  horses  and  a  liberal  supply  of 
beans,  dried  pumpkin,  corn,  cured  meat  "  and 
other  necessary  things."  Ten  days  spent  in  rest- 
ing and  feasting  served  to  put  men  and  horses  in 
fine  spirits. 

"  And  now,"  says  Beckwourth,^  "  everything 
being  ready  for  departure,  our  general  intimated 
to  Two  Axe  (Chief  of  the  Loups)  his  wish  to  get 
on.  Two  Axe  objected.  '  My  men  are  about 
to  surround  the  buffalo,'  he  said;  '  if  you  go  now, 
you  will  frighten  them.     You  must  stay  four  days, 

1 "  Life  and  Adventure*  of  James  P.  Beckwourth,"  Chap.  IV. 


Ashley* s  Long  Winter  Trail  177 

then  you  may  go.'  His  word  was  law,  so  we 
stayed  accordingly.  Within  the  four  days  ap- 
pointed they  made  the  surround.  There  were  en- 
gaged in  this  hunt  from  one  to  two  thousand  In- 
dians, some  mounted  and  some  on  foot.  They 
encompass  a  large  space  where  the  buffalo  are  con- 
tained, and  closing  in  around  them  on  all  points, 
form  a  complete  circle.  Their  circle,  as  first  en- 
closed, may  measure  perhaps  six  miles  in  diameter 
with  an  irregular  circumference  determined  by  the 
movements  of  the  herd.  When  the  surround  is 
formed,  the  hunters  radiate  from  the  main  body  to 
the  right  and  left  until  the  ring  is  entire.  The 
chief  then  gives  the  order  to  charge,  which  is  com- 
municated along  the  ring  with  the  speed  of  light- 
ning. Every  man  then  rushes  to  the  center,  and 
the  work  of  destruction  is  begun.  .  .  .  The 
slaughter  generally  lasts  two  or  three  hours.  .  .  . 
The  field  over  the  surround  presents  the  appear- 
ance of  one  vast  slaughter  house.  He  who  has 
been  most  successful  in  the  work  of  devastation  Is 
celebrated  as  a  hero,  and  receives  the  highest  hon- 
ors from  the  fair  sex,  while  he  who  has  been  so 
unfortunate  as  not  to  kill  a  buffalo  is  jeered  and 
ridiculed  by  the  whole  band.  Flaying,  dressing 
and  preserving  the  meat  next  engages  their  atten- 
tion and  affords  them  full  employment  for  several 
weeks." 

Arrangements  for  departure  were  made  by  Ash- 
ley's men  on  the  23rd  of  December,  and  on  the 


178  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

morning  of  the  24th,  bidding  goodbye  to  their 
friends,  the  Pawnee  Loups,  they  began  the  west- 
ward march  again.  It  had  been  Ashley's  inten- 
tion to  follow  Fitzpatrick's  route  up  the  North 
Platte  and  the  Sweetwater  through  South  Pass; 
but  the  Loups  had  informed  him  that  the  North 
Fork  afforded  less  wood  than  the  South  Fork,  and 
accordingly  he  had  decided  to  ascend  the  latter 
stream.  "  The  weather  was  fine,"  writes  the 
General,  "  the  valleys  literally  covered  with  buf- 
falo, and  everything  seemed  to  promise  a  safe  and 
speedy  movement  to  the  first  grove  of  timber  on 
my  route,  supposed  to  be  about  ten  days'  march.'* 
Christmas  day  dawned  clear,  and  the  party  con- 
tinued to  make  good  progress  in  the  golden  winter 
weather.  During  the  afternoon  they  were  over- 
taken by  a  band  of  Loups  who  had  been  sent  out 
as  envoys  to  the  Arapahoes  and  Kiowas  in  the 
hope  that  they  might  be  able  to  establish  friendly 
relations  between  those  tribes  and  their  own 
people. 

The  next  day  was  cloudy  and  bitter  cold.  In 
the  afternoon  it  began  to  snow  and  blow  again, 
and  the  night  was  terrible.  The  blizzard  contin- 
ued to  rage  until  sundown  of  the  27th;  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  28th  four  of  the  horses  were  so  far 
gone  with  the  cold  that  even  when  they  were  lifted 
to  their  feet  they  could  not  stand.  Abandoning 
the  poor  brutes  to  the  wolves,  the  party  labored 
on.     So  deep  was  the  snow  now  that  had  It  not 


Ashley's  Long  Winter  Trail  179 

been  for  the  large  herds  of  bison  moving  down  the 
river,  progress  would  have  been  impossible. 
These  not  only  broke  trail  for  the  party,  but^  also, 
in  searching  for  food,  pawed  the  snow  away  in 
many  places,  thus  making  it  possible  for  the  horses 
to  graze.  "  We  continued  to  move  forward  with- 
out loss  of  time,"  writes  Ashley,  "  hoping  to  be 
able  to  reach  the  wood  described  by  the  Indians 
before  all  our  horses  should  become  exhausted. 
On  the  1st  of  January,  1825,  I  was  exceedingly 
surprised  and  no  less  gratified  at  the  sight  of  a 
grove  of  timber,  in  appearance  distant  some  two 
or  three  miles  on  our  front.  It  proved  to  be  a 
grove  of  cottonwoods  of  the  sweetbark  kind,  suit- 
able for  horse  food,  located  on  an  island  offering, 
among  other  conveniences,  a  good  situation  for 
defence.  I  concluded  to  remain  here  several  days 
for  the  purpose  of  recruiting  my  horses." 

At  this  point  the  five  Loups  bade  farewell  to  the 
white  men  and,  each  carrying  on  his  back  a  small 
bundle  of  faggots  for  fuel,  struck  southward  to- 
ward the  Arkansas  where  they  expected  to  find  the 
villages  of  the  Arapahoes  and  Kiowas.  Ten 
days  were  spent  on  the  island,  during  which  time  a 
strict  guard  was  kept,  as  Ashley  had  been  told  that 
his  old  enemies,  the  Rees,  were  among  the  Arkan- 
sas Indians.  Standing  guard,  the  general  tells  us, 
"  was  much  the  most  severe  duty  my  men  had  to 
perform,  but  they  did  it  with  alacrity  and  cheer- 
fulness, as  well  as  all  other  services  required  at 


i8o  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

their  hands.  Indeed,  such  was  their  pride  and 
ambition  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  that  their 
privations  in  the  end  became  sources  of  amusement 
to  them." 

On  the  nth  of  January,  most  of  the  cotton- 
wood  bark  having  been  consumed,  and  the  horses 
now  being  in  fair  condition,  the  party  moved  on  up 
the  river.  Small  sticks  of  driftwood  and  some 
occasional  willow  brush  served  for  fuel,  but  no 
edible  cottonwood  was  found  until  the  20th,  when 
they  came  to  another  island  and  camped.  Here, 
near  the  site  of  Fort  Morgan,  Colorado,  they  had 
their  first  view  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which 
the  General  judged  to  be  about  sixty  miles  away. 

Ashley  had  been  informed  by  the  Indians  that 
it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  cross  the  moun- 
tains during  the  winter;  so  he  decided  to  move  to 
their  base  and  make  a  fortified  camp,  from  which 
trapping  could  be  carried  on  while  small  bands 
were  exploring  the  country  in  search  of  a  pass 
through  which  the  whole  party  might  be  taken 
later  on.  After  spending  two  days  on  the  island, 
that  the  horses  might  recuperate,  they  continued 
their  journey  up  the  South  Platte  until  they 
reached  a  stream  coming  in  from  a  northwesterly 
direction.^  Ascending  this  tributary  (doubtless 
the  Cache  La  Poudre),  they  camped  on  the  4th 
of  February  *'  in  a  thick  grove  of  cottonwood  and 

lUp  to  this  point  Ashley  had  been  following  Major  Long's 
route  of  the  summer  of  1820;  henceforth  his  journey  was  through 
an  unknown  country. 


Ashley^s  Long  Winter  Trail  i8i 

willows  "  among  the  foothills  of  the  Front  Range. 
Long's  Peak  loomed  huge  to  southward,  seeming 
to  Ashley  no  more  than  six  or  eight  miles  away, 
though  the  distance  must  have  been  at  least  thirty- 
five  miles. 

After  leaving  the  camp  of  January  20th,  game 
had  become  scarcer  and  scarcer,  and  the  party  had 
been  forced  to  rely  almost  entirely  upon  the  pro- 
visions that  had  been  procured  from  the  Loups  at 
the  Forks  of  the  Platte. 

The  main  body  remained  In  camp  here  for  three 
weeks,  during  which  time  small  detachments  were 
busily  engaged  in  exploring.  Finally,  on  the  26th 
of  February,  Ashley  began  the  passage  of  the 
foothills,  though  the  country  was  still  "  envel- 
oped in  one  mass  of  snow  and  ice."  "  Our  pas- 
sage across  the  first  range  of  mountains,  which 
was  exceedingly  difficult  and  dangerous,"  so  runs 
the  General's  narrative,  "  employed  us  three  days, 
after  which  the  country  presented  a  different  as- 
pect. Instead  of  finding  the  mountains  more 
rugged  as  I  advanced  towards  their  summit  and 
everything  in  their  bosom  frozen  and  torpid,  af- 
fording nothing  on  which  an  animal  could  possibly 
subsist,  they  assumed  quite  a  different  character. 
The  ascent  of  the  hills  (for  they  do  not  deserve 
the  name  of  mountains)  was  so  gradual  as  to 
cause  but  little  fatigue  in  travelling  over  them. 
The  valleys  and  south  sides  of  the  hills  were  but 
partially  covered  with  snow,  and  the  latter  pre- 


1 82  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

sented  already  in  a  slight  degree  the  verdure  of 
spring,  while  the  former  were  filled  with  numer- 
ous herds  of  buffalo,  deer  and  antelope.'* 

The  party  had  now  crossed  from  the  country 
drained  by  the  South  Platte  to  that  drained  by  the 
North  Platte.  Travelling  slowly  northwest  by 
west  for  nine  days  through  a  region  almost  desti- 
tute of  wood,  they  came  on  the  loth  of  March 
to  a  stream  *'  about  one  hundred  feet  wide,  mean- 
dering north-eastwardly  through  a  beautiful  and 
fertile  valley  about  ten  miles  in  width."  This 
was  the  Laramie  River,  and  here  two  days  were 
spent  in  camp,  as  the  valley  furnished  a  fairly 
good  supply  of  dry  grass  for  the  horses  and  an 
abundance  of  fuel. 

Moving  again  on  the  I2th  of  March,  the  party 
camped  in  the  evening  at  the  foot  of  the  Medi- 
cine Bow  Mountains,  which  Ashley  attempted  to 
cross  on  the  14th  and  15th;  but  finding  the  snow 
from  three  to  five  feet  deep,  he  gave  up  the  at- 
tempt and  returned  to  his  former  camping  place. 
Having  rested  a  day,  the  party  set  out  on  the  17th, 
travelling  northwardly  along  the  base  of  the 
range.  "  As  I  thus  advanced,"  writes  the  Gen- 
eral, "  I  was  delighted  with  the  variegated  scen- 
ery presented  by  the  valleys  and  mountains,  which 
were  enlivened  by  innumerable  herds  of  buffalo, 
antelope  and  mountain  sheep  grazing  on  them; 
and  what  added  no  small  degree  of  interest  to  the 
whole  scene  were  the  many  small  streams  issuing 


Ashley^ s  Long  Winter  Trail  183 

from  the  mountains,  bordered  with  a  thin  growth 
of  small  willows  and  richly  stocked  with  beaver. 
As  my  men  could  profitably  employ  themselves  on 
these  streams,  I  moved  slowly  along,  averaging 
no  more  than  five  or  six  miles  per  day,  and  some- 
times remained  two  days  at  the  same  encamp- 
ment." 

On  the  2 1  St  of  March,  the  appearance  of  the 
country  seemed  to  justify  another  attempt  to  cross 
the  mountains;  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  23rd, 
after  struggling  through  a  '*  rough  and  broken 
country  generally  covered  with  snow,"  the  party 
camped  "  on  the  edge  of  a  beautiful  plain,"  with 
the  Medicine  Bow  range  behind  them. 

Moving  westward  across  the  plain  on  the  24th, 
they  camped  for  the  night  on  the  North  Platte,  a 
few  miles  south  of  the  point  where  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  now  crosses  that  stream.  The 
25th  and  26th  days  of  March  were  spent  in  pass- 
ing over  an  "  elevated  rough  country  entirely  des- 
titute of  wood  and  affording  no  water  save  what 
could  be  procured  by  the  melting  of  snow."  Sage 
brush  was  used  for  fuel. 

During  the  next  five  days  the  party  pushed 
across  the  Great  Divide  Basin,  "  which  appeared 
to  have  no  outlet,"  and  succeeded  in  crossing  the 
Continental  Divide  at  a  point  that  later  came  to 
be  known  as  Bridger's  Pass. 

During  the  night  of  the  2nd  of  April  a  party  of 
Crow    Indians,    returning    from    an    expedition 


184  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

against  the  Snakes,  drove  off  seventeen  of  the 
white  men's  horses  and  mules,  leaving  the  party  in 
a  "  dreadful  condition,"  as  the  General  tells  us. 
With  one  man,  Ashley  boldly  pursued  the  thieves 
and  recovered  three  of  the  animals  that  had 
strayed  from  the  stolen  herd.  On  the  4th  of 
April,  nine  men  were  sent  out  in  pursuit  of  the 
Crows,  while  Ashley,  with  the  balance  of  the 
party,  laden  with  the  packs  of  the  stolen  horses, 
'*  proceeded  in  search  of  a  suitable  encampment  at 
which  to  await  the  return  of  the  horse-hunters.'* 
On  the  6th  Ashley's  weary  band  reached  a  small 
stream  running  northwest,  which  is  now  called 
Morton  Creek.  Here  they  found  the  first  run- 
ning water  and  the  first  wood  since  leaving  their 
camp  of  March  24th  on  the  North  Platte.  About 
ten  miles  farther  on  down  stream  they  reached  an- 
other creek,  later  known  as  the  Big  Sandy,  down 
which  Fitzpatrick  had  led  his  men  just  one  year 
before.  Here  they  remained  in  camp  until  the 
nth  of  April,  when  the  nine  men,  who  had  been 
sent  in  pursuit  of  the  Crows,  returned  without 
horses.  On  the  12th  the  party  started  down  the 
Sandy,  making  no  more  than  eight  miles  a  day,  for 
the  men  were  heavily  laden  and  the  weather  was 
snowy  and  raw.  After  travelling  down  the 
stream  for  six  days,  they  struck  across  country  to 
the  westward,  and  In  the  evening  of  April  i8th, 
1825,  they  went  Into  camp  on  the  banks  of  "  a 
beautiful     river     running     south."     They     had 


Ashley* s  Long  Winter  Trail  185 

reached  the  Green  one  hundred  sixty-six  days  after 
I  *^^vTng  Fort  Atkinson  on  the  Missouri ! 

Thus  ended  one  of  the  most  remarkable  jour- 
neys in  the  annals  of  the  West.  Commenting 
thereon,  Harrison  Clifford  Dale  says:  "  In  1824- 
25,  Ashley  plotted  the  first  section  of  the  central 
overland  route  to  the  Pacific.  .  .  .  He  was  the 
first  white  man  to  travel  this  route  in  the  dead  of 
winter,  and  the  first  to  use  that  variation  of  South 
Pass,  called  by  the  name  of  one  of  his  employees, 
James  Bridger.  He  was  the  first  American  to  in- 
vestigate the  mountains  of  northern  Colorado,  the 
first  to  enter  the  Great  Divide  Basin,  to  cross  al- 
""iiiost  the  entire  length  of  southern  Wyoming,  and 
h-the  first  to  navigate  the  dangerous  canyons  of 
Green  River."  ^ 

The  latter  exploit  will  be  considered  In  the  fol- 
lowing chapter. 
i"The  Ashley-Smith  Explorations,"  page  n6. 


y'^  "t 


XV 

DOWN   GREEN   RIVER 

AFTER  a  whole  winter  of  difficult  travel 
through  a  wild  country,  much  of  which  no 
white  man  had  ever  seen  before,  Ashley  had 
reached  the  chosen  trapping  ground  with  his  party 
afoot  and  heavily  burdened.  Obviously,  men 
who  were  playing  the  role  of  the  pack-horse  could 
not  be  expected  to  explore  a  wide  scope  of  country 
in  search  of  furs,  and  it  became  necessary  to  cache 
the  merchandise  at  some  convenient  place,  that  the 
horses,  which  the  Crows  had  failed  to  drive  off, 
might  be  used  by  the  trappers.  However,  the 
point  at  which  Ashley  was  then  camped  was  too 
far  north  for  his  purposes;  for  he  wished  .to, ex- 
plore the  country  to  the  southward  which  no 
white  man  had  yet  penetrated.  The  General 
therefore  decided  to  build  a  bullboat,  descend  the 
Green  to  **  some  eligible  point  about  one  hundred 
miles  below,"  there  to  deposit  the  greater  portion 
of  the  merchandise,  *'  and  make  such  marks  as 
would  designate  it  as  a  place  of  general  ren- 
dezvous." 

Three  days  were  spent  in  camp,  during  which 
some  of  the  men  were  engaged  in  making  a  frame 
for  the  boat,  while  others  were  sent  out  to  pro- 

i86 


Down  Green  River  187 

f  cure  bison  hides  for  the  covering.  When  the 
boat  was  complete^  and  IgadecJ-.mtt  the  packs, 
Ashley  divided  his  party  Into  four  bands.  One 
of  SIX  men  was  to  proceed  to  the  sources  of  the 
Green;  another  of  seven  was  to  explore  the  region 
of  the  Bear  River  range  to  the  westward;  and  a 
third  group  of  six  was  to  push  southward  toward 
the  Uinta  Mountains.  The  leaders  of  the 
bands,  only  two  of  whom  are  known  —  Fitzpat- 
rick  and  one  Clement  (or  Claymore) — "  were  in- 
structed to  endeavor  to  fall  in  with  "  the  parties 

*  of  Jedediah  Smith  and  William  Sublette  who,  as 
we  have  noted,  had  set  out  for  the  country  be- 
yond South  Pass  at  the  time  when  Fitzpatrick  be- 
gan his  disastrous  voyage  down  the  Sweetwater. 
All  the  Ashley  men  then  in  the  mountains  were  to 
assemble  by  the  loth  of  July  at  a  point  to  be 
marked  by  the  General  farther  down  the  Green. 

All  preparations  having  been  made,  the  three 
bands,  with  the  horses,  left  camp  on  Thursday, 
April  2 1  St,  1825;  and  Ashley,  with  the  six  re- 
maining men,  began  his  voyage. 

'*  After  making  about  fifteen  miles,"  so  runs  the 
narrative,  "  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
which  we  had  left  on  the  morning  of  the  1 8th,  and 
to  which  we  gave  the  name  of  Sandy."  Thus  was 
named  a  stream  destined  to  become  famous  In  the 
great  days  of  the  California  and  Oregon  Trail, 
when  migrating  thousands  should  pour  down  upon 
it  through  South  Pass.  -% 


L 


1 88  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Soon  after  pushing  off  that  morning,  It  had  be- 
come evident  to  Ashley's  little  band  that  the  boat 
was  too  heavily  laden  for  safety,  if,  as  might  be 
expected,  there  should  be  rapids  ahead.  So,  hav- 
ing decided  to  build  another  boat,  they  went  Into 
camp  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  some  twenty 
five  miles  below  the  Sandy.  The  new  craft  was 
finished  by  the  evening  of  the  23rd,  and  on  Sun- 
day morning,  the  24th,  they  were  off  again,  mak- 
ing thirty  miles  before  they  tied  up  for  the  night. 

During  the  25th,  they  drifted  rapidly  through 
twenty  miles  of  "  mountainous  country,"  passed 
the  mouth  of  "  a  beautiful,  bold-running  stream 
about  fifty  yards  wide  "  (now  called  Black's 
Fork),  and  camped  on  an  island  "after  making 
about  twenty  five  miles."  For  five  days  there- 
after they  moved  on  down  stream  In  a  leisurely 
fashion  "  without  observing  any  remarkable  dif- 
ference In  the  appearance  of  the  river  or  the  sur- 
rounding country."  On  the  last  day  of  April  they 
"  arrived  at  the  base  of  a  lofty  mountain,  the  sum- 
mit of  which  was  covered  with  snow,"  and  camped 
at  the  mouth  of  "  a  creek  sixty  feet  wide  "  (now 
known  as  Henry's  Fork),  that  entered  from  the 
west.  "  This  spot,"  says  Ashley,  "  I  selected  as 
a  place  of  general  rendezvous,  which  I  designated 
by  marks  In  accordance  with  the  instruction  given 
to  my  men." 

Thus  far  no  difficulty  had  been  encountered  in 
the  descent  of  the  river,  for  the  channel,  in  the 


Down  Green  River  189 

most  shallow  places,  had  been  no  less  than  four 
feet  deep.  Game  had  been  abundant,  for  bison 
were  at  that  time  "  travelling  from  the  west  in 
great  numbers." 

Having  spent  the  ist  of  May  at  the  mouth  of 
Henry's  Fork,  they  pushed  off  again  on  the  2nd, 
and  had  proceeded  only  about  a  half  mile  when 
the  mountains  closed  in  on  either  side  of  the  river, 
rising  perpendicularly  to  a  height  of  one  thousand 
five  hundred  feet.  The  channel  narrowed  to  half 
its  former  width;  the  current  became  swifter;  and 
the  moaning  sound  of  shadowy  waters  filled  the 
winding  gorge  into  which  the  boatmen  now  rushed, 
ignorant  of  what  might  lie  ahead  and  unable  to 
stop  had  they  wished  to  do  so.  At  length,  round- 
ing a  bend,  the  boats  swept  out  into  a  place  where 
the  huge  walls  fell  back,  leaving  a  pleasant  little 
park  along  the  margins  of  the  stream.  But 
scarcely  had  the  boatmen  felt  relief  from  dread, 
when,  swerving  sharply  to  the  left,  the  moaning 
current  swirled  them  into  a  second  fearsome  gorge 
cut  sheer  through  a  lofty  mountain.  Once  again 
they  emerged  into  an  open  space,  and  once  again 
the  dark  waters  swept  them  onward  through  an 
overhanging  canyon.  And  when  they  emerged 
again  into  an  open  space  some  ten  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  Henry's  Fork,  they  decided  to  call  it  a 
day,  and  camped.  They  had  that  day  passed 
through  the  three  canyons  now  called  Flaming 
Gorge,  Horseshoe,  and  Kingfisher. 


190  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Putting  off  in  the  morning  of  the  3rd  of  May, 
which  was  Sunday,  they  found  the  river  "  remark- 
ably crooked  with  more  or  less  rapids  every  mile, 
caused  by  rocks  which  had  fallen  from  the  sides  of 
the  mountain,"  and  these  made  brisk  work  for  the 
crews.  They  had  made  about  twenty  miles  from 
their  last  camp  when,  hearing  a  deep  roar  of  wa- 
ters in  the  defile  ahead  of  them,  they  hastily  rowed 
to  shore.  Cautiously  working  their  way  along 
the  bank,  they  "  descended  to  the  place  from 
whence  the  danger  was  to  be  apprehended.  It 
proved  to  be  a  perpendicular  fall  of  ten  or  twelve 
feet  produced  by  large  fragments  of  rocks  which 
had  fallen  from  the  mountain  and  settled  in  the 
river,  extending  entirely  across  the  channel  and 
forming  an  impregnable  barrier  to  the  passage  of 
loaded  watercraft."  So  they  were  obliged  to  un- 
load their  boats  and  let  them  down  over  the  falls 
by  means  of  long  lines  which  they  had  provided 
for  that  purpose.  It  was  sunset  when  this  opera- 
tion had  been  completed  and  the  boats  reloaded. 
Dropping  down  stream  about  a  mile,  they  camped 
for  the  night.  The  falls  over  which  they  had 
passed  have  been  given  the  name  of  their  dis- 
coverer. 

During  his  stop  at  this  point,  Ashley  painted  his 
name  and  the  year  on  a  huge  bowlder  that  had 
fallen  from  the  canyon  wall,  and  the  first  three 
letters  were  still  visible  when  the  Kolb  Brothers 


Down  Green  River  191 


passed  that  way  in  1911.^  The  Inscription  was 
seen  by  William  L.  Manly  in  1840,^  and  by  J.  W. 
Powell  In  1869.^ 

;  During  the  4th  of  May  the  boats  sped  safely 
onward  In  the  midst  of  lofty  heights  "  almost  en- 
tirely composed  of  strata  of  rock  of  various  colors 
(mostly  red)  and  partially  covered  with  a  dwarf- 
ish growth  of  pine  and  cedar."  In  the  morning 
of  the  5th,  having  dropped  six  miles  down  stream, 
they  came  to  a  place  where  "  the  mountains  grad- 
ually recede  from  the  water's  edge,  and  the  river 
expands  to  the  width  of  two  hundred  fifty  yards, 
leaving  the  bottoms  on  each  side  from  one  to  three 
hundred  yards  wide,  interspersed  with  clusters  of 
small  willows."  This  little  valley,  surrounded  by 
lofty  mountain  walls,  later  came  to  be  known  as 
Brown's  Hole.  There  Ashley's  party  remained 
in  camp  until  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  May, 

1 "  Through  the  Grand  Canyon  from  Wyoming  to  Mexico," 
by  E.  L.  Kolb.     New  York,  19 14. 

2"DeatH  Valley  in  1849,"  by  W^illiam  L.  Manly,  San  Jose, 
1894. 

3  "  Exploration  of  the  Colorado  of  the  West,"  by  J.  W.  Powell. 
Washington,  1878. 


192  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

when,  descending  ten  miles,  they  camped  ''  on  a 
spot  of  ground  where  several  thousand  Indians 
had  wintered.  Many  of  their  lodges  remained  as 
perfect  as  when  occupied.  They  were  made  of 
poles  two  or  three  inches  in  diameter,  set  up  in 
circular  form,  and  covered  with  cedar  bark." 

The  adventurers  had  proceeded  but  two  miles 
on  the  8th  when  once  again  they  were  swept  into 
a  narrow  winding  canyon  (now  called  Lodore), 
the  sides  of  which  rose  gloomily  to  a  tremendous 
height.  Says  Ashley:  "  As  we  passed  along  be- 
tween these  massy  walls,  which  in  a  great  degree 
excluded  from  us  the  rays  of  heaven  and  presented 
a  surface  as  impassable  as  their  body  was  im- 
pregnable, I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  gloom 
which  spread  over  the  countenances  of  my  men. 
They  seemed  to  anticipate  (and  not  far  distant 
too)  a  dreadful  termination  of  our  voyage,  and  I 
must  confess  that  I  partook  in  some  degree  of 
what  I  supposed  to  be  their  feelings,  for  things 
around  us  had  truly  an  awful  appearance.  We 
soon  came  to  a  dangerous  rapid  which  we  passed 
over  with  a  slight  injury  to  our  boats.  A  mile 
lower  down,  the  channel  became  so  obstructed  by 
the  intervention  of  large  rocks  over  and  between 
which  the  water  dashed  with  such  violence  as  to 
render  our  passage  in  safety  impracticable.  The 
cargoes  of  our  boats  were  therefore  a  second  time 
taken  out  and  carried  about  two  hundred  yards, 
to  which  place,  after  much  labor,  our  boats  were 


|-  Down  Green  River  193 

descended  by  means  of  cords."  About  fifteen 
miles  farther  down  stream  they  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Yampa,  which  Ashley  named  Mary's  River. 
Within  the  next  few  days  the  party  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Uinta  River  (which, 
according  to  Ashley,  the  Indians  called  the  Tew- 
inty) ,  having  run  the  rapids  of  Whirlpool  Canyon, 
"  where  the  mountains  again  close  to  the  water's 
edge  and  are  more  terrific  than  any  seen  during 
the  whole  voyage."  There,  near  the  site  of  the 
present  town  of  Ouray,  Utah,  Ashley's  men  cached 
the  cargoes  of  their  boats,  as  the  General  had  de- 
cided to  ascend  the  Uinta  River  to  its  source  on 
the  return  trip  to  the  place  of  rendezvous.  They 
then  continued  the  descent  of  the  Green  River, 
passing  through  Desolation  Canyon  to  a  point 
about  fifty  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Uinta,  the 
river  being  bounded  all  the  way  "  by  lofty  moun- 
tains heaped  together  in  the  greatest  disorder,  ex- 

.  hibiting  a  surface  as  barren  as  can  be  imagined." 

They  had  been  travelling  for  three  weeks  down 
the  Green  River  (never  before  navigated  by  white 
men) ,  and  now  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  noth- 

-ing  was  to  be  gained  by  continuing  the  voyage, 
they  abandoned  their  boats  and  started  back  afoot 
for    their    cache    at    the    mouth    of    the    Uinta. 

-Within  a  few  days  they  fell  in  with  a  friendly  band 
of  Utah  Indians.  *'  I  understood  by  signs  from 
them,"  says  Ashley,  '^  that  the  river  which  I  had 
descended,  and  which  I  supposed  to  be  the  Rio 


194  ^^^  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Colorado  of  the  West/  continued  its  course  as  far 
as  they  had  any  knowledge  of  it,  southwest 
through  a  mountainous  country.  They  also  in- 
formed me  that  all  the  country  known  to  them 
south  and  west  from  the  Tewinty  River  was  al- 
most entirely  destitute  of  game,  that  the  Indians 
inhabiting  that  region  subsist  principally  on  roots, 
fish  and  horses.'* 

Having  procured  horses  from  the  Utahs,  the 
white  men  pushed  on  to  the  mouth  of  the  Uinta, 
loaded  their  animals  with  the  merchandise  that 
had  been  cached  there,  and  proceeded  up  the 
Uinta  to  the  mouth  of  the  Duchesne,  which  they 
followed  through  a  mountainous  and  sterile  coun- 
try to  its  headwaters.  From  thence  they 
crossed  the  Uinta  Mountains  and  came  upon  the 
upper  tributaries  of  the  Weber  River,  which  Ash- 
ley took  to  be  the  Buenaventura,  a  mythical  stream 
then  supposed  to  flow  into  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco I  After  travelling  sixty  miles  down  the 
Weber,  they  fell  in  with  a  portion  of  the  band  that 
had  set  out  with  Smith  and  Sublette  from  the  camp 
on  the  Sweetwater  during  the  previous  summer. 
With  this  band  were  twenty  nine  men  who  had  de- 
serted from  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and  were 
now  bringing  their  furs  to  the  rendezvous  of  the 
American  trappers.  From  these  and  from  a  band 
of  Utahs  recently  encountered,  Ashley  gained  the 

1  Above  the  mouth  of  the  Grand  River  the  Rio  Colorado  of 
the  West  is  called  Green  River. 


Down  Green  River  195 

Impression  that  the  stream  he  had  been  following 
emptied  into  a  lake,  from  the  western  end  of  which 
a  great  river  flowed  westward  to  the  sea.  "  The 
necessity  of  my  unremitted  attention  to  my  busi- 
ness," writes  Ashley,  "  prevented  me  from  grat- 
ifying a  great  desire  to  descend  the  river  to  the 
ocean,  which  I  ultimately  declined  with  the  great- 
est reluctance."  It  will  be  noted  from  this  remark 
how  little  was  then  known  of  the  vast  central  coun- 
try between  the  Continental  Divide  and  the  Pa- 
cific. Ashley  could  not  guess  that  he  was  then 
seven  hundred  miles  distant  from  the  ocean  by  an 
air-line  route,  and  that  in  all  the  vast  triangular 
space  between  the  Snake  and  the  Colorado  no 
river  rising  In  the  Rockies  reached  the  sea. 

From  the  camp  on  the  Weber,  the  combined 
parties  set  out  for  the  appointed  place  of  ren- 
dezvous. 


XVI 

THE   RENDEZVOUS 

TEN  weeks  had  elapsed  since  Ashley's  party 
had  separated  into  four  bands  and  struck 
out  in  as  many  directions  from  the  camp  on  the 
Green  River  fifteen  miles  above  the  Sandy's 
mouth;  and  now  all  the  trappers  employed  by 
Ashley  in  that  country,  including  the  parties  of 
Smith  and  Sublette  who  had  wintered  west  of  the 
Divide,  began  to  arrive  at  the  place  of  rendezvous, 
their  pack-animals  laden  with  the  precious  spoils 
of  many  a  beaver  stream.  By  the  ist  of  July, 
1825,  one  hundred  twenty  men,  including  the 
twenty-nine  who  had  deserted  from  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  were  encamped  on  the  Green  at 
the  mouth  of  Henry's  Fork.  Beckwourth  tells 
us  that  many  of  the  Frenchmen  had  their  squaws 
and  children  with  them,  and  that  the  encampment 
was  "  quite  a  little  town." 

When  all  had  come  in,  the  General  opened  his 
goods,  "  consisting  of  flour,  sugar,  coffee,  blankets, 
tobacco,  whisky,  and  all  other  articles  necessary 
for  that  region."  Whereupon,  so  Beckwourth 
assures  us,  the  jubilee  began.  Some  of  these  men 
had  left  St.  Louis  with  Henry  in  the  spring  of  1822 


The  Rendezvous  197 

and  had  been  in  the  wilderness  ever  since.  Many 
had  not  tasted  sugar  or  coffee  for  many  months, 
having  lived  entirely  on  the  game  of  the  country, 
and  tobacco  and  whisky  were  luxuries  not  to  be 
despised.  These  articles  were  purchased  at  enor- 
mous prices,  and  many  a  trapper  not  only  swal- 
lowed in  a  day  of  ease  what  he  had  earned  in  a 
year  of  constant  danger  and  hardship,  but  when 
the  rendezvous  broke  up  found  himself  indebted 
to  his  employer  for  his  next  year's  outfit.  Story- 
telHng,  gambling,  drinking,  feasting,  horse-racing, 
wrestling,  boxing,  and  target-shooting  were  the 
order  of  the  day  — "  all  of  which  were  indulged  in 
with  a  heartiness  that  would  astonish  more  civ- 
ilized societies,"  says  Beckwourth. 

The  free  trappers,  who  were  not  paid  by  the 
year  as  were  the  hired  trappers,  but,  being  their 
own  masters,  trapped  where  they  pleased  and  sold 
their  furs  at  the  annual  rendezvous,  were  the 
"  cocks  of  the  walk."  These  boasted  freely  with 
the  naivete  of  children  —  or  Homeric  heroes. 
As  Joseph  Meek  tells  us :  "  They  prided  them- 
selves on  their  hardihood  and  courage;  even  on 
their  recklessness  and  profligacy.  Each  claimed 
to  own  the  best  horses;  to  have  had  the  wildest 
adventures;  to  have  made  the  most  narrow  es- 
capes; to  have  killed  the  greatest  number  of  bears 
and  Indians;  to  be  the  greatest  favorite  with  the 
Indian  belles,  the  greatest  consumer  of  alcohol, 
and  to  have  the  most  money  to  spend  —  that  is. 


198  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  largest  credit  on  the  books  of  the  company. 
If  his  hearers  did  not  believe  him,  he  was  ready  to 
run  a  race  with  them,  to  beat  them  at  '  cold 
sledge,'  or  to  fight,  if  fighting  were  preferred  — 
ready  to  prove  what  he  affirmed  in  any  way  the 
company  pleased."  ^ 

While  this  orgy  proceeds  and  the  year's  busi- 
ness is  being  transacted,  let  us  see  what  of  perma- 
nent value  these  men  had  accomplished  in  their 
wanderings;  for  it  is  not  because  they  brought 
back  much  beaver  that  we  remember  them  now. 

A  year  has  passed  since  we  last  saw  Jedediah 
Smith  and  William  L.  Sublette.  They  were  then 
pushing  westward  up  the  Sweetwater  with  a  string 
of  pack-horses  and  about  fifty  men,  and  they  had 
just  said  farewell  to  Fitzpatrick  bound  by  boat  for 
Fort  Atkinson  with  the  proceeds  of  his  spring 
\  hunt.  Having  crossed  South  Pass  and  followed 
the  Little  and  Big  Sandys  down  to  the  Green,  the 
party  was  divided  into  three  bands  —  one  under 
Sublette,  one  under  Etienne  Provost,  and  one,  con- 
sisting of  only  six  men,  under  Jedediah  Smith. 
From  this  point  Smith  turned  northward,  moving 
slowly  and  trapping  as  he  went,  following  the 
course  of  the  Green  River  to  the  mouth  of  Horse 
Creek,  which  comes  in  from  the  west  at  a  point 
slightly  south  of  the  ^Qvd  parallel.  Ascending 
this  stream  to  its  source,  he  crossed  over  to  the 
headwaters  of  Hoback's  River  which  he  descended 

1  Victor.    "The  River  of  the  West."     Chap.  I. 


\. 


The  Rendezvous  199 

to  the  Snake  River.  After  travelling  about  one 
hundred  miles  down  the  latter  stream,  he„_turned 
northward,  striking  across  country  in  the  direction 
^of  Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia.  He  was  now 
well  into  the  territory  that  was  being  worked  by 
the  roving  bands  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
operating  from  various  posts,  the  chief  of  which 
was  Fort  Vancouver  on  the  lower  Columbia. 
Previous  to  leaving  the  Snake  River,  he  had  been 
travelling  practically  the  same  route  that  had  been 
followed  by  the  eastbound  Astorians  under  Robert 
Stuart  just  twelve  years  before.  Buffalo  were 
plentiful  all  along  the  way,  so  that  the  little  party 
suffered  no  want.  Also,  many  streams  rich  in 
beaver  had  been  found,  and  by  the  end  of  summer 
Smith's  horses  were  fairly  well  loaded  with  pelts. 
Then  one  day  in  early  fall  a  band  of  Iroquois 
Indians,  led  by  a  Canadian  half-breed  named 
Pierre,  came  to  Smith's  camp  in  a  most  wretched 
condition.  They  were  without  horses  and  guns, 
and  were  on  the  verge  of  starvation.  Smith 
learned  from  them  that  they  had  started  during 
February  of  that  year  from  Spokane  House  on 
the  Spokane  River,  a  branch  of  the  upper  Colum- 
bia, with  a  party  of  Hudson  Bay  Company  men 
under  Alexander  Ross,  bound  for  the  buffalo  coun- 
try at  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri  and  Yellow- 
stone. They  had  crossed  the  Bitter  Root  Moun- 
tains and  the  Continental  Divide  with  Ross  dur- 
ing the  winter,  had  hunted  in  the  region  of  the 


200  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri  during  the  spring, 
and  then,  swinging  southward  and  westward 
through  what  is  now  called  the  Yellowstone  Na- 
tional Park,  had  begun  to  trap  on  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Snake.  During  June  they  had  been  de- 
tached from  the  main  party  and  sent  southward. 
All  summer  long  they  had  wandered  about,  taking 
many  beaver;  but  a  week  or  two  before  falling  in 
with  the  Americans,  they  had  been  attacked  by  a 
band  of  Snake  Indians  and  had  been  robbed  of 
horses,  guns,  and  most  of  their  peltry.  However, 
they  still  had  nine  hundred  skins,  worth  at  that 
time  in  St.  Louis  not  less  than  $5,000. 

Now  Smith  was  both  a  Christian  and  a  Yankee. 
Being  a  Christian,  he  could  do  no  less  than  give 
succor  to  those  in  distress;  being  a  Yankee,  he 
drove  a  hard  bargain  at  the  same  time.  He 
would  escort  the  Iroquois  to  Pierre's  Hole  where 
Alexander  Ross  was  thought  to  be  encamped  with 
the  main  party,  and  for  such  services  he  would 
accept  the  nine  hundred  skins  in  advance!  At 
least,  such  was  the  story  the  Indians  told  to  Ross. 
The  unfortunate  Indians,  having  accepted  Smith's 
proposition,  all  the  furs  thus  far  acquired  were 
cached,  and  the  two  parties  started  for  Pierre's 
Hole.  They  had  travelled  only  a  few  days  when 
they  met  a  band  of  Hudson  Bay  men  who  had  been 
sent  out  to  find  the  missing  Iroquois,  and  by  these 
Smith  was  guided  to  Ross's  camp  on  the  Salmon 
River  near  the  mouth  of  the  Pashimari. 


The  Rendezvous  201 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  October,  1824  — 
about  the  time  when  Ashley  at  Fort  Atkinson  on 
the  Missouri  was  preparing  for  his  long  winter 
journey  up  the  Platte  and  across  the  Rockies  to 
the  Green  River.  Alexander  Ross  was  ready  to 
start  for  Flathead  House,  a  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany post  on  the  upper  waters  of  Clark's  Fork 
of  the  Columbia,  and  Smith  decided  to  accompany 
him,  being  eager  to  view  the  country  and  wishing 
to  learn  as  much  as  possible  about  the  doings  of 
the  British  traders  in  that  region.  Surely  our 
hero  did  not  lack  audacity! 

On  November  ist  Ross's  party,  with  their  self- 
invited  American  guests,  crossed  the  Bitter  Root 
Mountains,  by  the  same  route  that  Lewis  and 
Clark  had  taken  nineteen  years  before,  and 
reached  Flathead  House  on  November  26th. 
On  the  same  day  Peter  Skeene  Ogden,  one  of  the 
greater  leaders  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  ar- 
rived from  Spokane  House  with  an  expedition 
bound  for  the  Snake  River  country.  Ogden  re- 
mained there  until  December  20th,  when  he 
started  for  the  spring  trapping  grounds.  It  is 
believed  that  Smith,  having  gathered  all  the  in- 
formation possible  during  his  month's  sojourn  at 
Flathead  House,  accompanied  Ross  southward  up 
the  Bitter  Root  River  to  its  source,  thence  across 
the  divide  to  the  Salmon  River. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1825  Smith  and  his  men, 
after  recovering  the  peltry  they  had  cached  dur- 


202  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

ing  the  previous  fall,  arrived  In  Cache  Valley 
slightly  below  the  point  where  the  Bear  River, 
flowing  southward,  crosses  the  Utah  line.  Here 
they  met  Sublette's  party,  and  It  Is  easy  to  Imagine 
with  what  eagerness  the  reunited  comrades  told 
of  their  adventures  and  wanderings. 

Sublette  and  his  men  had  been  on  a  wild  goose 
chase,  though  they  too  had  succeeded  In  taking 
much  fur  by  the  way.  Striking  south  and  west 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Sandy,  where  they  had  said 
farewell  to  the  parties  under  Provost  and  Smith 
during  the  summer  of  1824,  they  had  come  upon 
the  upper  waters  of  the  Bear  River  which  they 
took  to  be  the  Buenventura.  They  had  followed 
this  river  throughout  the  remainder  of  the  sum- 
mer, trapping  as  they  went.  Rounding  the 
Wasatch  Mountains  on  the  north  and  following 
the  stream  westward  and  southward,  they  had 
reached  Cache  Valley  late  In  the  fall,  and  finding 
It  a  sheltered  place  with  plenty  of  wood,  they  had 
decided  to  winter  there. 

During  the  winter  there  had  been  much  dis- 
cussion among  Sublette's  men  as  to  what  would 
be  found  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream  upon  which 
they  were  encamped,  and  by  way  of  settling  the 
discussion  James  Bridger,  then  but  twenty  years 
old,  had  descended  Bear  River  to  Its  mouth,  where, 
quite  naturally,  he  had  found  salt  water!  Re- 
turning to  winter  quarters,  he  reported  to  his  com- 
panions what  he  had  discovered,  and  it  was  be- 


The  Rendezvous  203 

lieved  that  he  had  actually  reached  an  arm  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean! 

The  party  under  Provost,  after  parting  from 
their  comrades  at  the  Sandy's  mouth,  had  pushed 
southward  for  a  considerable  distance  along  the 
Green  during  the  late  summer  of  1824;  then  turn- 
ing westward,  they  had  crossed  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Bear  and  reached  the  Weber,  which  also 
empties  into  Salt  Lake,  but  by  a  much  more  direct 
route  than  that  of  the  Bear.  Believing  that  he 
was  on  the  Buenaventura,  Provost  descended  the 
Weber;  but  how  far  he  proceeded  before  going 
into  winter  quarters  is  unknown.  There  seems  to 
be  some  reason  to  suspect  that  he  may  have 
reached  Great  Salt  Lake  in  the  fall  of  1824,  and 
that  he  spent  the  winter  there  near  the  Weber's 
mouth,  thus  antedating  Bridger's  discovery  by  a 
few  months;  but  proof  is  wanting.  At  least  it  is 
known  that  Provost's  band  was  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Weber  early  in  the  spring.  Also,  Jedediah" 
Smith,  so  Ashley  tells  us  in  his  letter  to  General 
Atkinson,  had  fallen  "  on  the  waters  of  the  Grand 
Lake  of  Buenaventura  "  (meaning  Great  Salt 
Lake)  on  his  return  from  Flathead  House" before 
he  reached  Cache  Valley. 

Thus,  within  a  few  months,  three  of  the  Ashley 
bands  had  reached  Great  Salt  Lake  by  different 
routes.  However,  James  Bridger  is  generally 
considered  the  discoverer. 

During  the   spring  hunt   of    1825    a  band  of 


204  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Hudson  Bay  men,  that  had  been  sent  southward 
by  Ogden  from  the  upper  Snake  River  country 
where  he  was  then  operating,  fell  in  with  a  small 
detachment  of  Ashley  men  under  Johnson  Gard- 
ner on  the  Bear  River.  Gardner  induced  the 
British  trappers  to  desert  their  employer  and  bring 
their  catch  (worth  a  fortune)  to  the  American 
rendezvous.  These  were  the  men  whom  Ashley 
met,  in  company  with  one  of  his  own  bands,  on  the 
upper  reaches  of  the  Weber  during  June.  Hap- 
pily, Gardner's  right  to  be  remembered  does  not 
rest  wholly  upon  this  rather  questionable  transac- 
tion. His  name  goes  linked  with  that  of  Hugh 
Glass;  for  in  the  winter  of  1832  when  Glass  was 
killed  by  his  old  enemies,  the  Rees,  on  the  frozen 
Yellowstone,  not  far  below  the  mouth  of  the  Big 
Horn,  it  was  Johnson  Gardner  who,  according  to 
the  famous  traveller,  Maximilian,  Prince  of  Wied- 
Neuwied,  followed  the  murderers  and  "  killed  two 
of  them  with  his  own  hands."  ^ 

And  now  all  the  Ashley  men,  who  had  been 
widely  scattered  in  seven  bands,  were  reunited  on 
the  Green  River  at  the  mouth  of  Henry's  Fork, 
having  explored  the  country  bordering  the  Rockies 
on  the  west  from  the  upper  waters  of  Clark's  Fork 
of  the  Columbia  in  latitude  47°  30',  to  a  point 
slightly  below  latitude  40°  on  the  Green  River. 

1  "  Maximilian's  Travel*  in  North  America,"  page  304.  Beck- 
wourth  also  tells  the  story  in  Chapter  XVII  of  the  "Life  and 
Adventures." 


The  Rendezvous  205 

Let  us  note  the  significance  of  what  these  men  were 
doing. 

In  1792  Captain  Gray  of  the  Boston  trading 
ship,  Columbia,  had  discovered  the  mouth  of  the 
great  river  which  he  named  after  his  vessel.  In 
1805  Lewis  and  Clark  had  crossed  the  Contin- 
ental Divide  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri 
River  and  had  descended  the  Columbia  to  the 
Pacific.  In  the  fall  of  18 10  Major  Andrew 
Henry,  as  we  have  noted,  had  crossed  the  Con- 
tinental Divide  and  built  a  trading  post  on  Henry's 
Fork  of  the  Snake  River,  but  owing  to  the  hostility 
of  the  Blackfeet  he  had  been  forced  to  abandon 
his  position  the  next  year.  In  181 1  John  Jacob 
Astor's  men  had  founded  the  fur-trading  estab- 
lishment of  Astoria  at  the  Columbia's  mouth. 
Thus  by  right  of  discovery,  exploration,  and  occu- 
pation, the  Americans  claimed  the  great  Oregon 
country  lying  west  of  the  Rockies  and  north  of 
latitude  42°,  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Span- 
ish domain.  But  possession  was  quite  another 
matter.  In  18 14,  as  a  result  of  the  war  with 
England,  Astor's  great  enterprise  had  failed,  and 
the  British  Northwest  Company  had  taken  pos- 
session of  Astoria,  renaming  it  Fort  George. 
Since  that  time  English  traders  —  first  the  North- 
west Company,  then  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  — 
had  been  "  the  lords  of  the  land,"  although  an 
agreement  had  been  made  in  18 18  whereby  the 
British  and  the  Americans  were  to  have  equal 


2o6  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

rights  in  the  Oregon  country.  But  so  long  as 
the  Americans  knew  no  overland  route  save  those 
that  had  been  followed  by  Lewis  and  Clark  and 
by  the  Astorians,  "  joint  occupancy "  virtually 
meant  British  occupancy;  for  the  northern  passes 
across  the  Rockies  were  very  difficult  to  cross,  and 
the  inveterate  hostility  of  the  Blackfeet  made  that 
way  extremely  hazardous.  Had  not  a  more  ad- 
vantageous road  been  found  across  the  Continental 
Divide  during  those  early  years,  it  is  most  prob- 
able that  the  English  would  have  become  perma- 
nently established  throughout  the  territory  drained 
by  the  Columbia  system;  for  always  the  flag  fol- 
lows the  trader. 

Thomas  J.  Farnham,  who  travelled  overland  to 
Oregon  in  1839-40,  when  the  stream  of  emigra- 
tion was  already  beginning  to  flow  across  the 
Rockies,  made  the  following  just  observations  re- 
garding the  great  central  route  to  the  Pacific: 
'*  The  Platte,  therefore,  when  considered  in  rela- 
tion to  our  intercourse  with  the  habitable  countries 
of  the  Western  Ocean,  assumes  an  unequalled  im- 
portance among  the  streams  of  the  Great  Prairie 
wilderness.  But  for  it,  it  would  be  impossible 
for  man  or  beast  to  travel  those  arid  plains,  des- 
titute, alike,  of  wood,  water,  and  grass,  save  what 
of  each  is  found  along  its  course.  Upon  the 
headwaters  of  the  North  Fork  too  is  the  only 
way  or  opening  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  at  all 
practicable   for  a  carriage   road  through  them. 


^e     ->i  W^    '=^-<-  -^^^     Mi^^   ^.^  »^    •5C«^w;  •JL'''  N^ 

,,^^  Ai*^  ^^J*^->^      /ti^^  ^-              ^         -  s; 

\.            ..y..-.,.. 

■■■>■/' "-  ■■■'■■  •^•:  ■  ■  •■    -; 

/a..              -         -     /  -    -^ 

1; 

.17./'-       ■ 

.'XiK:.:! 

j^./ipr^  .^   ^A-  ^* 

^l^rytJu*.?^  V<^^ 

^^        »**      (%,  <t^  ^.'V^     ^e^l/-''^yf    '/ ^  ^                           '     •■ 

a',^»^    a-    ^^^'.^ 

>r  ^  j^   .^^yi^-..  /j^    z:,-.^    /w'-^^s^  .A.«^/*«.v-< 

•    /*- —    ^^    ^»*/i 

'^    oyT  "•f**^'^-"^"      ''''■       ;v       .'   ••'Ci    >^.,<.<.''«<^k.v 

Sp      -w-'i  ../  ,- 

..<,  ^..^  ry>^^.    .';^«=«*-  ./^^-«^'   ,:-^ 

mm-'rj_ 

HP-'^  - 

. .   -r/-^  Jt^^of^u,  '?                      ^"^Wi 

'^^— -"' 

"J^i^^-^V) 

%      ■    ..,- 

.    - 

Original   in    ,  Society 

Last  Page  of  the  Articles  of  Agreement  Whereby  A«shley's 
Interests  in  the  Mountains  Were  Transferred  to  Smith,  Jackson 
and  Sublette. 


The  Rendezvous  207 

That  travelled  by  Lewis  and  Clark  is  covered  with 
perpetual  snow;  that  near  the  debouchure  of  the 
South  Fork  of  the  river  is  over  high  and  nearly 
impassable  precipices;  that  travelled  by  myself, 
farther  south,  is,  and  ever  will  be  impassable  for 
wheel  carriages.  But  the  Great  Gap  (South 
Pass)  seems  designed  by  nature  as  the  great  gate- 
way between  the  nations  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
cific Oceans."^ 

Dr.  John  McLoughHn,  factor  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company's  post.  Fort  Vancouver,  used  to  say : 
"  For  all  coming  time  we  and  our  children  will 
have  uninterrupted  possession  of  this  country,  as 
it  can  never  be  reached  by  families  but  by  water 
around  Cape  Horn."  And  upon  being  told  that 
he  would  live  to  see  the  coming  of  the  Yankees, 
he  would  answer:  "As  well  might  they  under- 
take to  go  to  the  moon!  "  ^  He  was  thinking  of 
the  northern  passes. 

But  now  Ashley's  men  under  Fitzpatrick  had 
found  a  great  natural  road  leading  up  the  valleys 
of  the  Platte  and  the  Sweetwater,  over  the  scarcely 
noticeable  Divide  at  South  Pass ;  and  Ashley  him- 
self had  travelled  a  variation  of  this  route  by  way 
of  the  South  Platte  and  Bridger's  Pass.  The 
gateway  oi  the  mountains  had  swung  open  at  last, 
and  henceforth  there  would  be  no  lack  of  Ameri- 
cans in  the  country  west  of  the  Rockies.     It  was 

1  "  Travels  in  the  Great  Western  Prairies." 

2  Clarke.     "  Pioneer  Days  of  Oregon  History." 


2o8  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  beginning  of  the  invasion  of  the  Far  West. 
In  course  of  a  few  years  the  settlers  would  follow 
the  trail  of  the  trappers  in  ever  increasing  num- 
bers, until,  when  the  river  of  humanity  should  be 
in  full  flood  forty  years  later,  ten  thousand 
wagons,  bound  for  Oregon  and  California,  would 
trundle  up  that  way  in  a  single  season.^ 

Down  from  the  North  as  far  as  Snake  River 
had  come  the  English.  Up  from  the  South,  pene- 
trating the  wilderness  as  far  as  Utah  Lake,  and 
spreading  up  the  coast  of  California,  had 
come  the  Spaniards.  Between  the  countries 
known  to  the  British  and  the  Spanish  lay  an  un- 
known land.  And  now,  at  the  Green  River  ren- 
dezvous in  July,  1825,  already  were  gathered  to- 
gether some  of  those  who,  within  the  next  two 
years,  were  destined  to  lift  the  veil  of  mystery 
from  that  vast  triangular  space. 

^  Obcrholzer.     "  A    History    of    th€    United    States    Since    the 
Civil  War."     Macmillan,  1917.    Vol.  I,  page  304. 


XVII 

BACK   TO  THE  STATES 

ASHLEY'S  luck  which,  as  we  have  seen,  had 
been  bad  enough  so  long  as  he  operated  east 
of  the  Rockies,  had  now  turned.  Not  only  had 
his  own  bands  brought  in  a  large  quantity  of 
beaver  to  the  Green  River  rendezvous,  but  from 
the  twenty  nine  Hudson  Bay  Company  trappers, 
who  had  deserted  from  Ogden's  party,  he  had  pro- 
cured a  fortune  "  for  a  mere  song,"  as  he  is  said 
to  have  remarked.  Says  Beckwourth:  "There 
lay  the  General's  fortune  in  one  immense  pile, 
collected  at  the  expense  of  severe  toil,  privation, 
suffering,  peril,  and,  in  some  cases,  loss  of  life. 
The  skins  he  had  purchased  from  Ogden's  men 
and  from  free  trappers  had  cost  him  compara- 
tively little.  If  he  should  meet  with  no  misfor- 
tune on  his  way  to  St.  Louis,  he  would  receive 
enough  to  pay  all  his  debts  and  have  an  ample 
fortune  besides."  The  exact  quantity  of  beaver 
fur  collected  by  Ashley  at  the  rendezvous  of  1825 
is  not  known.  Contemporary  estimates  vary 
from  forty  to  one  hundred  thirty  packs  of  one 
hundred  pounds  each,  the  valuation  ranging  from 
$40,000  to  $200,000.     It  is  probable  that  he  col- 

209 


2IO  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

lected  no  less  than  $100,000  worth  of  furs  —  an 
imposing  fortune  In  those  days  when  the  pur- 
chasing power  of  a  dollar  was  far  greater  than 
now. 

*'  The  packs  were  all  arranged,'*  continues  Beck- 
wourth,  "  and  our  Salt  Lake  friends  (the  desert- 
ers) offered  him  (Ashley)  the  loan  of  all  the 
horses  he  wanted,  and  engaged  to  escort  him  to  the 
Wind  River."  All  preparations  for  the  return 
to  St.  Louis  being  completed,  Ashley  bade  fare- 
well to  those  who  were  remaining  in  the  country, 
and  set  out  with  a  large  pack-train  and  fifty  men, 
half  of  the  latter  being  Ogden's  trappers  who 
would  return  with  the  horses  after  the  General 
had  reached  a  point  on  the  Big  Horn  from  whence 
he  could  proceed  by  water  to  the  States.  lede- 
diah  Smith  was  one  of  those  who  were  chosen  to 
accompany  the  General  to  St.  Louis. 

It  is  probable  that  Ashley  would  have  attempted 
to  navigate  the  Sweetwater  and  the  Platte,  had  not 
Fitzpatrick's  voyage  of  the  previous  summer  re- 
sulted in  disaster.  He  himself  was  unfamiliar 
with  the  Big  IHorn  and  the  Yellowstone,  having 
ascended  with  Major  Henry  only  to  the  mouth 
of  the  latter  river  in  1822;  but  a  number  of  those 
who  were  now  returning  with  him  had  ascended 
the  Yellowstone  with  Henry  in  the  fall  of  1823, 
and  had  followed  up  the  Big  Horn  on  their  way 
to  South  Pass  during  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1824. 


Back  to  the  States  21 1 

Following  the  Green  northward  from  Henry's 
Fork  to  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy,  Ashley's 
party  ascended  the  latter  and,  crossing  the  Great 
Divide  at  South  Pass,  came  on  the  upper  reaches 
of  the  Sweetwater.  Here  the  main  body  with  the 
pack  animals  turned  northward  toward  the  Popo 
Agie,  while  Ashley,  with  twenty  men  and  twice  as 
many  horses,  proceeded  down  stream  in  order  to 
recover  forty-five  packs  of  beaver  that  Sublette's 
party  had  collected,  during  the  spring  hunt  of 
1824,  and  cached  before  pushing  on  across  the 
mountains  to  the  Green  during  the  following 
summer. 

Within  a  few  days  after  separating  from  the 
main  party,  Ashley's  men  had  raised  the  cache  and 
started  in  a  northwesterly  direction  to  rejoin  their 
comrades  on  the  Wind  River,  when  they  were 
attacked  by  a  band  of  Blackfeet  three  times  their 
own  in  number.  "  They  made  their  appearance 
at  the  break  of  day,  yelling  in  the  most  hideous 
manner,"  writes  Ashley  S  "  and  using  every  means 
in  their  power  to  alarm  our  horses,  which  they  so 
effectually  did  that  the  horses,  although  closely 
hobbled,  broke  by  the  guard  and  ran  off.  A  part 
of  the  Indians  being  mounted,  they  succeeded  in 
getting  all  the  horses  but  two,  and  wounded  one 
man.  An  attempt  was  also  made  to  take  our 
camp,  but  in  that  they  failed." 

During  the  next  night  Ashley  sent  out  a  small 

1  Letter  to  General  Atkinson,  previously  quoted. 


212  The  Splendid  JV  ay  faring 

band  to  find  the  main  body  of  trappers  and  bring 
back  horses  with  which  to  transport  the  furs. 
Knowing  the  character  of  Jed  Smith,  it  seems  a 
reasonable  guess  that  he  led  this  band.  During 
the  second  day  after  the  battle  the  little  party 
returned  safely  with  the  necessary  animals,  and 
Ashley  proceeded  on  his  way,  none  the  worse  for 
his  encounter  with  the  Blackfeet.  After  making 
about  ten  miles,  he  camped.  "  That  night  about 
twelve  o'clock,"  the  General  tells  us,  *'  we  were 
again  attacked  by  a  party  of  Crow  Indians." 
Again  Beckwourth,  who  was  with  Ashley,  Is  on 
hand  with  the  particulars:  "  I  and  my  boy  Bap- 
tiste  (La  Jeunesse)  were  sleeping  among  the 
packs,  as  were  also  some  of  the  other  men,  when 
the  sentinel  came  to  me  to  tell  me  that  he  had 
seen  something  which  he  believed  to  be  Indians. 
I  arose  and  satisfied  myself  that  he  was  correct. 
I  sent  a  man  to  acquaint  the  General,  at  the  same 
time  awaking  the  boy  and  two  men  near  me.  We 
noiselessly  raised  ourselves,  took  as  good  aim  as 
possible,  and,  at  a  signal  from  me,  all  four  fired. 
We  saw  two  men  run.  By  this  time  the  whole 
camp  was  aroused.  .  .  .  Our  whole  force  was  on 
guard  from  that  time  till  the  morning,  when  we 
discovered  two  dead  Indians  lying  where  we  had 
directed  our  aim  In  the  night.  We  at  first  sup- 
posed the  two  Indians  belonged  to  the  Blackfeet, 
but  we  subsequently  found  they  were  Crows. 
One  of  them  wore  a  fine  pair  of  buckskin  leggings, 


Back  to   the  States  213 

which  I  took  from  him  and  put  on  myself/* 
During  the  day  after  this  slight  affair,  Ashley's 
band  overtook  the  main  party,  probably  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Popo  Agie,  which  flows  northwardly 
into  the  Wind  River.  Shortly  after  this,  while 
the  reunited  bands  were  moving  down  the  Wind 
River,  they  encountered  a  large  band  of  Indians. 
Again  Beckwourth  will  oblige  us :  "  The  alarm 
was  given,  and,  on  looking  out,  we  saw  an  immensd" 
body  of  them,  well  mounted,  charging  directly 
down  upon  our  camp.  Every  man  seized  his  rifle 
and  prepared  for  the  living  tornado.  The  Gen- 
eral gave  orders  for  no  man  to  fire  until  he  did. 
By  this  time  the  Indians  were  within  half  pistol- 
shot.  Greenwood  (one  of  our  party)  pronounced 
them  Crows  and  called  out  several  times  not  to 
shoot.  We  kept  our  eyes  upon  our  General;  he 
pulled  trigger,  but  his  gun  missed  fire,  and  our 
camp  was  immediately  filled  with  their  warriors. 
Most  fortunate  it  was  for  us  that  the  General's 
gun  did  miss  fire,  for  they  numbered  over  a  thou- 
sand, and  not  a  man  of  us  would  have  escaped  to 
see  the  Yellowstone. 

"  Greenwood,  who  knew  the  Crows,  acted  as 
interpreter  between  our  General  and  the  Indian 
chief,  whose  name  was  Absaroka  Betetsa,  Spar- 
row-Hawk Chief.  After  making  numerous  in- 
quiries about  our  success  in  hunting,  the  chief  in- 
quired where  we  were  from. 

"  '  From  Green  River,'  was  the  reply. 


214  ^^^  Splendid  Wayfaring        m 

"  *  You  killed  two  Blackfeet?  ' 

"  '  Yes.' 

"  *  Where  are  their  scalps?  My  people  want 
to  dance.' 

"  *  Don't  show  them !  '  cried  Greenwood  to  us. 

"Turning  to  the  Indian:  'We  did  not  take 
their  scalps.' 

"  *  Ugh  I     That  is  strange.' 

"  During  this  colloquy  I  had  buried  my  scalp 
in  the  sand,  and  concealed  my  leggings,  knowing 
they  had  belonged  to  a  Crow.  The  chief  gave  or- 
ders to  his  warriors  to  move  on,  many  of  them 
keeping  with  us  on  our  road  to  their  camp,  which 
was  but  a  short  distance  off.  Soon  after  reaching 
there,  an  Indian  woman  issued  from  a  lodge  and 
approached  the  chief.  She  was  covered  with 
blood,  and,  crying  in  the  most  piteous  tones,  she 
addressed  the  chief:  'These  are  the  men  who 
killed  my  son,  and  will  you  not  avenge  his  death?  ' 
She  was  almost  naked,  and,  according  to  their 
custom  when  a  near  relative  is  slain,  had  inflicted 
wounds  all  over  her  body  in  token  of  her  deep 
mourning.  The  chief  turned  to  the  General,  then 
said:  'The  two  men  who  were  killed  in  your 
camp  were  not  Blackfeet  but  my  own  warriors; 
they  were  good  horse  thieves  and  brave  men. 
One  of  them  was  a  son  of  this  woman,  and  she  is 
crying  for  his  loss.  Give  her  something  to  make 
her  cease  her  cries,  for  it  angers  me  to  see  her 
grief.' 


Back  to  the  States  215 

'*  The  General  cheerfully  made  her  a  present 
of  what  things  he  had  at  hand,  to  the  value  of 
about  $50.  '  Now,'  said  the  chief  to  the  woman, 
'  go  to  your  lodge  and  cease  your  crying.'  She 
went  away  seemingly  satisfied. 

"  During  the  day  two  other  Indians  came  to 
the  encampment,  and,  displaying  each  a  wound, 
said :  *  See  here  what  you  white  people  have  done 
to  us.  You  shot  us;  white  people  shoot  good  In 
the  dark.'  The  General  distributed  some  pres- 
ents among  these  two  men.  Happening  to  look 
among  their  numerous  horses,  we  recognized  some 
that  had  been  stolen  from  us  previous  to  our 
reaching  Green  River.^  The  General  said  to  the 
chief :  '  I  believe  I  see  some  of  my  horses  among 
yours.' 

"  *  Yes,  we  stole  them  from  you.' 
"  '  What  did  you  steal  my  horses  for?  ' 
"  '  I  was  tired  with  walking.  I  had  been  to 
fight  the  Blackfeet,  and,  coming  back,  would  have 
called  at  your  camp.  You  would  have  given  me 
tobacco,  but  that  would  not  carry  me.  When  we 
stole  them  they  were  very  poor.  They  are  now 
fat.  We  have  plenty  of  horses ;  you  can  take  all 
that  belong  to  you.'  The  chief  then  gave  orders 
for  them  to  dehver  up  all  the  horses  taken  from 
our  camp." 

Now  following  the  Wind  River  to  where  it  en- 
ters the  Big  Horn  Mountains,  Ashley  detailed  a 

iSee  Chap.  XIV.  '-'^^■'-■^-'■^"-—"- --^ *--.^-^- 


2i6  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

small  band  to  explore  the  canyon  by  water,  while 
he,  with  the  rest  of  the  men  and  the  pack  train, 
pushed  on  over  the  range  by  way  of  Bad  Pass,  a 
distance  of  about  thirty  miles.  On  August  7th 
they  reached  the  point  where  the  Big  Horn  River 
issues  from  the  mountains.  Here  twenty  five  men 
turned  back  with  the  horses,  and,  with  the  other 
twenty  five,  Ashley,  having  built  bullboats  for  the 
purpose,  began  his  voyage  to  the  States  with  his 
precious  cargo. 

No  difficulties  were  met  in  descending  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  where  the  party  ar- 
rived at  midday  on  "August  19th.  ~^^In~efFecting 
a  landing  at  the  junction  of  the  two  rivers,"  so 
Beckwourth  informs  us,  "  we  unfortunately  sunk 
one  of  our  boats,  on  board  of  which  were  thirty 
packs  of  beaver  skins,  and  away  they  went,  float- 
ing down  the  current  as  rapidly  as  though  they 
had  been  live  beaver.  All  was  noise  and  confu- 
sion in  a  moment,  the  General,  in  a  perfect  fer- 
ment, shouting  to  us  to  save  the  packs.  All  the 
swimmers  plunged  in  after  them,  and  every  pack 
was  saved.  The  noise  we  made  attracted  a  strong 
body  of  U.  S.  troops  down  to  the  river,  who  were 
encamped  near  the  place,  and  officers,  privates, 
and  musicians  lined  the  shore.  They  were  under 
the  command  of  General  Atkinson,  then  negotiat- 
ing a  treaty  with  the  Indians  of  that  region  on 
behalf  of  the  Government.  General  Atkinson 
and  our  General  happened  to  be  old  acquaintances, 


Back  to  the  States  217 

and  when  we  had  made  everything  snug  and  se- 
cure, we  all  went  into  camp  and  freely  indulged 
in  festivities." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  here,  on  the  tongue 
of  land  between  the  two  rivers.  Major  Henry  had 
built  a  fort  in  the  fall  of  1822.  After  it  was 
abandoned  a  year  later,  the  Indians  set  fire  to  it, 
but  Ashley  found  three  sides  of  the  stockade  and 
a  part  of  the  buildings  still  standing. 

General  Atkinson  was  about  to  start  up  the 
Missouri  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  treaty  with 
the  Blackfeet,  and  Ashley  decided  to  accompany 
his  old  friend.  After  ascending  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Porcupine,  and  finding  no  Indians,  the  expedi- 
tion returned  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone 
within  a  week.  Ashley  now  abandoned  his 
clumsy  bullboats  and  transferred  his  cargo  to  a 
stauncher  craft  furnished  by  General  Atkinson. 

On  the  27th  of  August  the  combined  force  of 
soldiers  and  trappers  began  the  descent  of  the 
Missouri,  and  on  the  19th  of  September  arrived 
at  "  Council  Bluffs,"  ^  that  is  to  say,  at  Fort  At- 
kinson. Here  Ashley's  party  remained  three 
days,  "  which  passed  in  continual  festivities,"  the 
trappers  *'  feeling  themselves  almost  at  home." 

Let  Beckwourth  finish  the  account  of  Ashley's 
homeward  voyage :  '^  Providing  ourselves  with  a 
good  boat,  we  bade  adieu  to  the  troops  and  con- 

iThe  original  Council  Bluffs,  so  called  because  Lewis  and 
Clark  there  held  a  council  with  the  Indians  in  1804,  is  about  14 
miles  above  the  city  of  that  name. 


21 8  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

tinued  our  descent  of  the  river.  The  current  of 
the  Missouri  is  swift,  but  to  our  impatient  minds 
a  locomotive  would  have  seemed  too  tardy  in 
removing  us  from  the  scenes  of  hardship  and 
privation  to  the  homes  of  our  friends,  our  sweet- 
hearts, our  wives  and  little  ones. 

"  Those  who  reside  in  maritime  places,  and 
have  witnessed  the  hardy  tars  step  ashore  in  their 
native  land,  can  form  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
happy  return  of  the  mountaineers  from  their  wan- 
derings on  the  Plains  to  St.  Louis,  which  is  the 
great  seaport.  Arriving  at  St.  Charles,  twenty 
miles  above  St.  Louis,  the  General  despatched  a 
courier  to  his  agents,  Messrs.  Warndorf  and 
Tracy,  to  inform  them  of  his  great  success,  and 
that  he  would  be  in  with  his  cargo  the  next  day 
about  noon.  When  we  came  in  sight  of  the  city 
we  were  saluted  by  a  piece  of  artillery,  which 
continued  its  discharges  until  we  landed  at  the 
market  place.  There  were  not  less  than  a  thou- 
sand persons  present,  who  hailed  our  landing  with 
shouts  which  deafened  our  ears.  Those  who  had 
parents,  brothers  and  sisters,  wives,  or  sweet- 
hearts, met  them  at  the  landing;  and  such  a  rush- 
ing, crowding,  pulling,  hauling,  weeping,  and 
laughing  I  had  never  before  witnessed.  Every- 
one had  learned  of  our  approach  by  the  courier. 

"  Our  cargo  was  soon  landed  and  stored,  the 
men  receiving  information  that  they  would  be  paid 
off  that  afternoon  at  the  store  of  Messrs.  Warn- 


Back  to  the  States  219 

dorf  and  Tracy.  We  reported  thither  in  a  body 
to  receive  our  pay.  The  full  amount  was  counted 
out  in  silver  to  each  man.  Accordingly  we  all 
repaired  to  Barras's  Hotel,  and  had  a  glorious 
time.  The  house  was  thronged  with  our  friends 
besides,  who  all  felt  themselves  included  in  the 
General's  hospitality. 

"  General  Ashley  called  on  us  the  next  morning 
and,  perceiving  that  we  had  '  run  all  night,'  told 
us  to  keep  on  another  day  at  his  expense,  adding 
that,  if  we  wished  to  indulge  in  a  ride,  he  would 
pay  for  carriages.  We  profited  by  his  hint,  and 
did  not  fail  to  take  into  our  party  a  good  share 
of  lasses  and  mountaineers.  The  next  morning 
the  General  again  visited  us  and,  seeing  we  were 
pretty  sober,  paid  the  bill." 


XVIII 

GENERAL   ASHLEY   RETIRES 

AFTER  the  rendezvous  had  broken  up  in 
July  and  Ashley's  party  had  begun  the  jour- 
ney to  St.  Louis  with  the  furs,  the  body  of  trap- 
pers left  behind  under  the  command  of  Sublette 
moved  leisurely  up  the  Green  River  for  a  con- 
siderable distance.  Then,  having  agreed  upon 
Cache  Valley  as  the  place  for  the  fall  rendezvous, 
the  trappers  separated  into  small  parties  and  spent 
the  summer  working  along  the  streams  in  the 
country  east  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains. 

It  was  along  about  the  end  of  October,  1825, 
and  the  winter  was  already  setting  in,  when  one 
of  the  small  bands  that  had  worked  its  way  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  Salt  River  during  the  fall  hunt, 
fell  in  with  three  men  who  had  just  arrived  from 
St.  Louis  with  a  letter  for  Sublette  from  General 
Ashley.  The  three  men  were  James  P.  Beck- 
wourth,  one  La  Roche,  and  one  Fellow.  It  would 
appear  that  during  his  homeward  journey  Ashley 
had  concluded  that  he  was  wealthy  enough  to 
retire,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  had  discussed 
with  Jedediah  Smith  some  proposition  regarding 
the  sale  of  his  mountain  interests  to  a  new  firm 

220 


General  JYMtry  Retires  221 

of  which  Smith  and  Sublette  should  be  members. 
It  was  doubtless  with  this  In  view  that,  shortly 
after  arriving  at  St.  Louis,  he  had  Induced  Beck- 
wourth  and  his  two  companions  to  carry  a  mes- 
sage to  Sublette  far  away  beyond  the  Great  Di- 
vide. Beckwourth  tells  us  that  he  received 
$1,000  for  the  trip;  and,  considering  the  great 
risk  that  so  small  a  party  ran,  such  remuneration 
could  hardly  be  regarded  as  excessive,  though  it 
Is  likely  that  far  less  was  received. 

Setting  forth  from  St.  Louis  with  two  riding 
horses  and  a  pack-mule  for  each,  these  three  men 
had  followed  the  Missouri  River  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Platte,  ascended  the  latter  to  the  Forks,  thence 
proceeding  by  way  of  the  North  Platte  and  the 
Sweetwater  through  South  Pass  to  the  Green. 
After  pushing  up  the  Green  to  the  mouth  of  Le 
Barge  Creek,  they  had  struck  across  country  north- 
westward to  the  headwaters  of  the  Salt  River, 
which  empties  Into  the  Snake  River  where  the 
latter  crosses  the  eastern  boundary  of  Idaho. 
The  trappers  whom  they  met  at  this  point  were 
about  to  start  for  the  rendezvous  In  Cache  Val- 
ley, and  Beckwourth  decided  to  accompany  them 
to  that  place,  there  to  await  the  arrival  of  Sub- 
lette rather  than  to  search  for  him  In  the  wilder- 
ness. 

It  was  late  in  October  when  the  widely  scat- 
tered bands  had  at  last  reunited  In  Cache  Valley, 
and  Sublette's  party  was  the  last  to  come  in. 


222  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Upon  arriving,  Sublette  gave  orders  for  the  whole 
camp  to  prepare  for  the  march  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Weber  River,  where  he  had  decided  to  win- 
ter. At  this  time  the  Ashley  men,  including  hired 
trappers,  free  trappers,  and  those  who  had  de- 
serted Ogden,  must  have  numbered  about  one  hun- 
dred. Most  of  these  had  taken  Indian  wives; 
some  had  children;  and  as  many  horses  were  re- 
quired to  transport  the  impedimenta  of  such  a 
camp,  the  procession  that  trailed  out  of  Cache 
Valley  must  have  been  rather  impressive.  Joseph 
Meek,  who  became  one  of  Sublette's  trappers  four 
years  later,  has  left  us  the  following  account  of 
the  manner  in  which  such  a  party  travelled: 

"  When  the  large  camp  is  on  the  march,  it.has 
a  leader,  generally  one  of  the  Booshways,^  who 
rides  in  advance  or  at  the  head  of  the  column. 
Near  him  is  a  led  mule,  chosen  for  qualities  of 
speed  and  trustworthiness,  on  which  are  packed 
two  small  trunks  that  balance  each  other,  like 
panniers,  and  which  contain  the  company's  books, 
papers,  and  articles  of  agreement  with  the  men. 
Then  follow  the  pack-animals,  each  one  bearing 
three  packs  —  one  on  each  side  and  one  on  top  — 
so  nicely  adjusted  as  not  to  slip  in  travelling. 
These  are  in  charge  of  certain  men  called  camp- 
keepers,  who  have  each  three  of  these  to  look 
after.     The    trappers    and    hunters    have    two 

1  A  corruption  of  the  French  word,  Bourgeois,  meaning  trader. 
Sublette  was  the  "  Booshway  "  of  the  party  with  which  we  are 
here  concerned. 


General  Ashley  Retires  223 

horses,  or  mules,  one  to  ride  and  one  to  pack 
their  traps.  If  there  are  women  and  children 
in  the  train,  they  are  all  mounted.  Where  the 
country  is  safe,  the  caravan  moves  in  single  file, 
often  stretching  out  for  half  or  three-quarters  of 
a  mile.  At  the  end  of  the  column  rides  the  *  sec- 
ond man  '  or  '  Little  Booshway,'  usually  a  hired 
officer,  whose  business  it  is  to  look  after  the  order 
and  condition  of  the  whole  camp. 

"  On  arriving  at  a  suitable  spot  upon  which  to 
make  the  night  camp,  the  leader  stops,  dismounts 
in  the  particular  space  which  is  to  be  devoted  to 
himself  in  its  midst.  The  others,  as  they  come 
up,  form  a  circle,  the  '  second  man  '  bringing  up 
the  rear  to  be  sure  all  are  there.  He  then  pro- 
ceeds to  appoint  every  man  a  place  in  the  circle, 
and  to  examine  the  horses'  backs  to  see  if  any 
are  sore.  The  horses  are  then  turned  out,  under 
guard,  to  graze;  but  before  darkness  comes  on, 
they  are  placed  inside  the  ring  and  picketed  by  a 
stake  driven  in  the  earth,  or  with  two  feet  tied 
together  so  as  to  prevent  easy  or  free  locomotion. 
The  men  are  divided  into  messes,  so  many  trap- 
pers and  so  many  camp-keepers  to  a  mess.  The 
business  of  eating  is  not  a  very  elaborate  one 
where  the  sole  diet  is  meat,  either  dried  or  roasted. 
By  a  certain  hour  all  is  quiet  in  camp,  and  only 
the  guard  is  awake. 

*'  In  the  morning,  at  daylight,  the  *  second  man  ' 
comes  forth  from  his  lodge  and  cries  in  French: 


224  ^^^  Splendid  Wayfaring 

'  levCy  leve,  leve/  which  is  the  command  to  rise. 
In  about  five  minutes  more  he  cries:  '  Leche  lego, 
leche  lego,'  or  '  turn  out,  turn  out  ' ;  at  which  com- 
mand all  come  out  from  the  lodges,  and  the  horses 
are  turned  loose  to  feed;  but  not  before  a  horse- 
man has  galloped  all  around  the  camp  at  some 
distance,  and  discovered  everything  to  be  safe  in 
the  neighborhood.  Again,  when  the  horses  have 
been  sufficiently  fed  under  the  eye  of  a  guard,  they 
are  driven  up,  the  packs  replaced,  the  train 
mounted,  and  once  more  it  moves  off  in  the  order 
before  mentioned."  ^ 

Thus  Ashley's  men,  with  their  women,  children 
and  horses,  moved  down  the  Bear  River  to  Salt 
Lake,  and  along  the  border  of  the  lake  southward 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Weber,  where  they  established 
themselves  in  their  skin  tents  for  the  winter. 

Now  that  the  trapping  season  was  o^ei',  the 
men  had  a  comparatively  easy  time,  having  little 
to  do  but  to  take  turns  in  supplying  the  camp  with 
meat  and  to  indulge  themselves  in  eating,  sleep- 
ing, and  '*  swapping  yarns  ";  for  we  may  be  sure 
that  most  of  the  more  menial  duties  about  camp  — 
such  as  cooking  and  fetching  wood  and  water  — 
were  willingly  performed  by  the  squaws,  as  being 
well  beneath  the  dignity  of  their  lords.  Joseph 
Meek  describes  certain  features  of  domestic  econ- 
omy in  these  winter  camps: 

**  When  a  piece  of  game  is  brought  in  —  a  deer 

I  Victor.    "The  River  of  the  West."    Chap.  I. 


■^'**"  f,    "*■'    -/    ^^-    ;2;„/^   ^.^ 


A' 

j  *<■ 

,V.    /*♦. 

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I 


Original  in  possession  of  the  Missouri  Historical  Society 

Last  Page  of  Rogers'  Journal,  Written  at  the  Camp  on  the 
Umpqua  the  Day  Before  the  Massacre  in  which  the  Writer  Was 
Killed. 


General  Ashley  Retires  225 

or  an  antelope  or  buffalo  meat  —  it  Is  thrown 
down  in  front  of  the  Booshway's  lodge;  and  the 
*  second  man  '  stands  by  and  cuts  it  up,  or  has  it 
cut  up  for  him.  The  first  man  who  chances  to 
come  along  is  ordered  to  stand  still  and  turn  his 
back  to  the  pile  of  game,  while  the  Little  Boosh- 
way  lays  hold  of  a  piece  that  has  been  cut  off  and 
asks  in  a  loud  voice :  *  Who  will  have  this? '  and 
the  man,  answering  for  him,  says :  *  The  Boosh- 
way,'  or  perhaps  '  number  six '  or  *  number 
twenty' — meaning  certain  messes;  and  the  num- 
ber is  called  to  come  and  take  the  meat.  In  this 
blind  way  the  meat  is  portioned  out,  the  Booshway 
faring  no  better  than  his  men."  ^ 

Not  long  after  winter  quarters  had  been  es- 
tablished, so  we  are  told  by  Beckwourth  who  was 
there,  a  party  of  Bannock  Indians  swooped  down 
upon  the  camp  one  stormy  night  and  drove  away 
eighty  of  the  white  men's  horses.  Here  was  work 
that  could  not  be  allotted  to  the  squaws,  and  such 
work  as  the  trappers  seemed  rather  to  enjoy. 
Fifty  men  immediately  volunteered  to  pursue  the 
Bannocks;  and  it  is  safe  to  guess  that  most  of 
those  who  had  been  on  Green  River  in  the  spring 
of  1824  and  had  shared  in  the  attack  on  the  Snake 
village,  were  of  this  band  which,  like  the  former 
one,  was  led  by  Fitzpatrick. 

Early  next  morning  the  horse-hunters  set  out 
afoot.     The  storm  had  died  in  the  night;  and,  as 

1  Victor,    op.  cit.    Chap.  I. 


2  26  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

much  snow  had  fallen,  the  stolen  herd  had  left  a 
trail  that  was  easily  followed.  After  trudging 
five  days  in  a  northerly  direction,  the  trappers 
came  at  last  in  sight  of  the  Bannock  village. 
Fitzpatrick  now  divided  his  party  into  two  bands, 
one  of  which  was  led  by  himself,  the  other  by  the 
young  daredevil,  James  Bridger,  who  was  to  drive 
away  the  Bannock  horses  while  Fitzpatrick  and 
his  men  charged  the  Indians,  numbering  about 
three  hundred!  It  was  surely  an  audacious  plan, 
but  it  seems  to  have  worked  perfectly.  The 
whole  Bannock  herd  was  driven  away,  though 
many  of  the  horses  were  later  recovered  by  the 
Indians.  "  We  succeeded  in  getting  off  with  the 
number  of  our  own  missing  horses  and  forty  head 
besides,"  says  Beckwourth,  who  shared  in  the  en- 
terprise. "  In  the  engagement  six  of  the  enemy 
were  killed  and  scalped,  while  not  one  of  our 
party  received  a  scratch.  The  horses  we  captured 
were  very  fine  ones,  and  our  return  to  camp  was 
greeted  with   the  liveliest  demonstrations." 

When  the  horse-hunters  reached  winter  quar- 
ters they  found  there  an  encampment  of  Snake 
Indians,  numbering  over  a  thousand.  "  These," 
so  Beckwourth  tells  us,  "  had  entirely  surrounded 
us  with  their  lodges,  adding  very  materially  to 
our  population.  They  were  perfectly  friendly, 
and  we  apprehended  no  danger  from  them.  It 
appears  that  this  was  their  usual  resort  for  spend- 
ing the  winter." 


General  Ashley  Retires  227 

During  the  absence  of  FItzpatrlck's  party,  Sub- 
lette, owing,  doubtless,  to  the  letter  received  from 
AsHIey:,_had  decided  that  his  business  interests 
made  necessary  his  presence  in  St.  Louis;  and  he 
had  started  with  but  one  companion,  Black  Harris, 
on  the  trail  that  led  back  to  the  States  —  one 
thousand  five  hundred  miles  away  across  a  bliz- 
zard swept  prairie-wilderness ! 

The  wintering  party,  '^  all  strong  and  healthy 
as  bears,"  as  we  are  assured,  now  settled  down  to 
a  comfortable  and  neighborly  existence  in  com- 
pany with  their  Snake  friends,  the  presence  of 
whom  made  unlikely  any  further  attack  by  ma- 
rauding bands  of  horse-thieves.  So  passed  the 
winter  of  1825-26. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1826  four  men,  whose 
names  are  not  recorded,  set  out  in  small  bullboats 
from  the  camp  at  the  mouth  of  the  Weber  River 
to  skirt  the  shore  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  Their 
purpose  was  to  locate  beaver  streams  and  to  find 
the  place  whence  the  Buenaventura  issued,  flowing 
westward  to  the  ocean.  After  three  weeks  these 
men,  having  circumnavigated  the  lake,  returned  to 
camp  with  a  tale  of  unprofitable  labors.  They 
had  found  neither  beaver  nor  the  Buenaventura, 
and  they  had  suffered  much  with  thirst;  for  most 
of  the  streams  that  entered  the  lake  were  saline  at 
that  early  season  before  the  flood  waters  of  the 
melting  snow  had  washed  them  clean. 

During  the  absence  of  the  exploring  party,  the 


228  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

main  body  had  been  preparing  to  leave  winter 
quarters  and  begin  the  spring  hunt.  Many  of  the 
skins,  which  had  been  used  for  lodges  and  were 
therefore  thoroughly  cured  by  the  smoke  of  the 
winter  fires,  were  cut  up  and  made  into  moccasins 
for  the  party.  Smoked  skins  do  not  shrink  with 
wetting  as  raw  skins  do.  *'  This  is  an  important 
quality  in  a  moccasin,"  so  Joseph  Meek  tells  us, 
*'  as  a  trapper  is  almost  constantly  in  the  water 
during  the  trapping  season;  and  should  not  his 
moccasins  be  smoked  they  will  close  upon  his  feet, 
in  drying,  like  a  vice.  Sometimes  after  trapping 
all  day,  the  tired  and  soaked  trapper  lies  down  in 
his  blankets  at  night,  still  wet.  By  and  by  he  is 
wakened  by  the  pinching  of  his  moccasins  and  is 
obliged  to  rise  and  seek  the  water  again  to  relieve 
himself  of  the  pain.  For  the  same  reason,  when 
the  spring  comes,  the  trapper  is  forced  to  cut  off 
the  lower  half  of  his  buckskin  breeches,  and  piece 
them  down  with  blanket  leggings,  which  he  wears 
all  through  the  trapping  season."  ^ 

The  whole  body  of  trappers  and  Indians  now 
broke  camp  and  moved  together  up  Bear  River  to 
Cache  Valley,  where  forty  five  packs  of  beaver, 
collected  during  the  previous  fall,  were  cached. 
During  this  operation,  two  French  Canadian  trap- 
pers were  killed  by  the  caving  in  of  a  clay  bank  in 
which  they  were  digging;  and  Beckwourth,  with 
his  usual  loquacity,  tells  us  that  he  fell  heir  to  the 

1  Victor,     op.  cit. 


General  Ashley  Retires  229 

widow  of  one  of  these  unfortunates.  "  She  was 
of  light  complexion,"  says  he,  "  smart,  trim,  and 
active,  and  never  tired  in  her  efforts  to  please  me, 
seeming  to  think  that  she  belonged  to  me  for  the 
remainder  of  her  life.  I  had  never  had  a  servant 
before,  and  I  found  her  of  great  service  to  me  in 
keeping  my  clothes  in  repair,  making  my  bed,  and 
taking  care  of  my  weapons." 

From  Cache  Valley,  the  trappers  started  on  the 
^_spring  hunt,  pushing  over  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
l\  Port  Neuf  and  down  that  stream  to  its  junction 
with  the  Snake  River,  finding  plenty  of  beaver  all 
the  way.  At  this  point  they  seem  to  have  had 
a  brisk  encounter  with  a  large  band  of  Blackfeet, 
as  a  result  of  which  they  lost  three  horses.  How- 
ever, they  took  some  scalps  by  way  of  partial 
remuneration!  They  then  turned  back,  ascend- 
ing the  Port  Neuf  to  Its  headwaters,  from  whence 
they  crossed  over  to  the  Bear  River,  continuing 
the  hunt   along  that  stream   and  its  tributaries 

!  until  they  reached  the  mouth  of  Sage  Creek. 
There  they  met  Black  Harris  and  one  Porteleuse, 
who  had  just  arrived  from  the  States.  These 
brought  the  news  that  Ashley,  Smith,  and  Sub- 
lette were  but  a  short  distance  away,  bound  for 
Salt  Lake  with  fifty  men  and  a  pack-train  of  one 
hundred  horses  and  mules,  having  begun  the  jour- 
ney from  St.  Louis  early  in  March. 

Upon  receiving  this  news,  the  trappers  hastened 
I     back  to  Salt  Lake,  being  joined  on  the  way  by  the 


I 


230  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Snake  Indians  who  had  spent  the  previous  winter 
with  them.  Shortly  after  they  reached  the  ap- 
pointed place  of  rendezvous  on  Salt  Lake,  Ash- 
ley's party  came  In  with  the  pack-train  heavily 
laden  with  merchandise,  and  the  business  of  the 
rendezvous  began. 

"  It  may  well  be  supposed,"  so  Beckwourth  re- 
marks, *'  that  the  arrival  of  such  a  vast  amount 
of  luxuries  from  the  East  did  not  pass  off  without 
a  general  celebration.  Mirth,  songs,  dancing, 
shouting,  trading,  running,  jumping,  racing,  tar- 
get-shooting, yarns,  frolic,  with  all  sorts  of  ex- 
travagances that  white  men  or  Indians  could  In- 
vent, were  freely  Indulged  In.  The  unpacking 
of  the  medicine  water  (alcohol)  contributed  not 
a  little  to  the  heightening  of  our  festivities." 

However,  the  festivities  were  rudely  Interrupted 
during  the  second  day,  when  a  body  of  Blackfeet, 
prowling  In  the  vicinity,  surprised  and  killed  five 
of  the  Snake  Indians  who  were  gathering  roots  at 
some  distance  from  the  camp.  Whereupon  the 
Snake  chief  went  to  Sublette  and  said :  '*  Cut 
Face,  three  of  my  warriors  and  two  women  have 
just  been  killed  by  the  Blackfeet.  You  say  that 
your  warriors  can  fight  —  that  they  are  great 
braves.  Now  let  me  see  them  fight,  that  I  may 
know  your  words  are  true." 

Sublette  replied:  ''You  shall  see  them  fight, 
and  then  you  will  know  that  they  are  all  braves  — 
that  I  have  no  cowards  among  my  men,  and  that 


k 


General  Ashley  Retires  ZJI 

they  are  all  ready  to  die  for  their  Snake  friends." 
Beckwourth,  whom  we  have  been  quoting,  tells 
us  that  the  ensuing  battle  continued  for  six  hours, 
after  which  Sublette's  men,  having  become  very 
hungry  as  a  result  of  their  violent  exercise,  re- 
tired to  their  camp,  requesting  that  the  Snakes 
remain  on  the  field  and  finish  the  job.  But  the 
Snakes,  it  seems,  had  also  developed  considerable 
appetites  by  this  time,  and,  concluding  that  under 
the  circumstances  they  would  rather  eat  than  fight, 
they  followed  their  allies  to  the  feast.  So  the 
battle  ended  pleasantly  enough. 

During  the  rendezvous  General  Ashley  com- 
pleted arrangements  with  Jedediah  Smith,  David 
E.  Jackson,  and  William  L.  Sublette,  whereby  he 
transferred  his  interests  in  the  mountains  to  the 
firm  of  Smith,  Jackson  and  Sublette,  agreeing  to 
y  furnish  the  new  company  with  goods  from  the 
\States  and  to  dispose  of  its  furs  on  a  commission 
.basis.  The  articles  of  agreement  were  drawn 
i  ""up  and  signed  on  July  26th,  1826,  "near  the 
^      Grand  Lake  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

Before  leaving  the  country  for  the  last  time, 
so  Beckwourth  informs  us,  the  General  delivered 
the  following  farewell  address:  "  Mountaineers 
and  friends !  When  I  first  came  to  the  moun- 
tains, I  came  a  poor  man.  You,  by  your  inde- 
fatigable exertions,  toils,  and  privations,  have  pro- 
cured me  an  independent  fortune.  With  ordinary- 
prudence  in  the  management  of  what  I  have  ac- 


I 


232  The  Splendid  JV  ay  faring 

cumulated,  I  shall  never  want  for  anything.  For 
this,  my  friends,  I  feel  myself  under  great  obliga- 
tions to  you.  Many  of  you  have  served  with  me 
personally,  and  I  shall  always  be  proud  to  testify 
to  the  fidelity  with  which  you  have  stood  by  me 
through  all  danger,  and  the  friendly  and  brotherly 
manner  which  you  have  ever,  one  and  all,  evinced 
toward  me.  For  these  faithful  and  devoted  serv- 
ices I  wish  you  to  accept  my  thanks;  the  gratitude 
I  express  to  you  springs  from  my  heart,  and  will 
ever  retain  a  lively  hold  on  my  feelings.  My 
friends !  I  am  now  about  to  leave  you  to  take 
up  my  abode  in  St.  Louis.  Whenever  any  of  you 
return  thither,  your  first  duty  must  be  to  call  at 
my  house,  to  talk  over  the  scenes  of  peril  we  have 
encountered,  and  partake  of  the  best  cheer  my 
table  can  afford.  I  now  wash  my  hands  of  the 
toils  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Farewell,  moun- 
taineers and  friends  I     May  God  bless  you  all  I  "  ^ 

1  While  quoting  James  P.  Beckwourth  rather  freely  in  the 
foregoing  pages,  I  have  not  been  unaware  of  the  fact  that  some 
of  our  earlier  historians  of  the  West  have  been  inclined  to 
regard  him  as  unreliable.  However  that  may  be,  he  is  cer- 
tainly important  for  his  intimate  descriptions  of  well  authenti- 
cated incidents.  It  is  as  a  describer  of  such  incidents  that  I 
have  trusted  him. —  Author. 


XIX 

THE  FIRST  AMERICANS  OVERLAND  TO  CALIFORNIA  ^ 

IMMEDIATELY  upon  taking  over  Ashley's 
interests  in  the  mountains,  Smith,  Jackson  and 
Sublette  began  to  make  plans  for  extending  the 
business.  The  country  drained  by  the  Green,  the 
Bear,  the  Weber,  and  the  upper  Snake  rivers,  was 
still  rich  in  beaver;  but  yonder  between  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  and  the  setting  sun  lay  a  land  unknown. 
What  incalculable  wealth  of  fur  might  be  waiting 
there  in  a  trapper's  paradise  of  pleasant  valleys! 
And  somewhere  through  that  country  did  not  the 
mighty  Buenaventura  River  flow  westward  to 
the  Pacific?  Here  was  stuff  enough  for  the  fash- 
ioning of  big  dreams !  Beyond  that  unknown 
land  was  California.  Might  it  not  be  possible  to 
transport  furs  to  some  Spanish  port,  thence  to  be 
sent  around  the  Horn  by  the  New  England  trad- 
ing ships  that  were  constantly  on  the  coast  in 
those  years? 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  late  fall  of 
1824  Jedediah  Smith  had  accompanied  Ross  to 
Flathead  House,  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  post 

1  This  chapter  is  based  on  Smith's  letter  to  General  Clark 
(Kansas  Hist.  Soc.  MSS.)  and  the  Journals  of  Harrison  G. 
Rogers  (Missouri  Hist.  Soc.  MSS.)  ;  both  presented  in  full  by- 
Dale,  the  latter  for  the  first  time. 

233 


w. 


The  Splendid  Wayfaring 


on  Clark's  Fork  of  the  Columbia  east  of  the  Bitter 
Root  Mountains.  While  there  he  had  learned 
much  regarding  the  successful  operations  of  the 
British  traders,  and  he  could  not  have  failed  to 
appreciate  the  immense  advantage  they  enjoyed 
with  their  access  to  the  sea  by  way  of  the  Colum- 
bia. It  was  natural  that  the  young  Americans 
should  covet  a  like  advantage,  especially  as  the 
memory  of  Astor's  great  enterprise,  that  had 
failed  but  twelve  years  before,  was  fresh  In  their 
minds  and  still  bore  the  glamour  of  high  adventure. 

Might  not  the  Buenaventura  prove  to  be  a 
second  Columbia? 

It  was  decided  that  an  exploring  party  should 
be  sent  through  the  unknown  country  to  the  sea. 
Three  years  had  passed  since  Jededlah  Smith,  who 
was  now  just  twenty  eight  years  old,  had  joined 
Ashley's  band  at  St.  Louis,  and  from  the  begin- 
ning he  had  been  a  man  of  mark.  His  conduct  in 
the  first  battle  with  the  Rees  and  his  perilous 
journey  afterward  to  Major  Henry  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Yellowstone,  had  distinguished  him  for  ex- 
traordinary courage;  and  since  that  time  he  had 
demonstrated  shrewdness  in  business  matters, 
commonsense,  and  a  gift  for  leadership.  For 
these  reasons,  and  because,  being  better  educated 
than  either  of  his  comrades,  he  was  the  best  fitted 
to  deal  with  the  Spanish  authorities  on  the  coast, 
it  was  decided  that  he  should  lead  the  exploring 
party. 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     235 

We  can  fancy  with  what  eagerness  he  must 
have  accepted  this  task;  for  had  he  not  pored  over 
that  vast  triangular  white  space  on  the  maps  of 
the  period  and  dreamed  of  penetrating  its  mys- 
tery? Now  the  dream  was  coming  true !  How- 
ever, judging  by  the  direction  he  took  on  his  out- 
ward journey,  it  would  seem  that  his  first  concern 
was  with  finding  a  practicable  route  to  California. 

On  the  22nd  of  August,  1826,  Smith  started 
southward  from  the  place  of  rendezvous  on  Great 
Salt  Lake  with  fifteen  men,  fifty  horses,  and  a 
stock  of  merchandise,  leaving  his  partners,  Jack- 
son and  Sublette,  with  the  remainder  of  the  band 
to  continue  operations  in  the  fur  country  already 
explored,  and  agreeing  to  meet  them,  if  possible, 
at  the  southern  end  of  Bear  Lake  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1827.  Those  who  accompanied  Smith  are 
worthy  of  remembrance,  for  they  were  the  first 
Americans  to  reach  California  by  land,  the  van- 
guard of  the  great  invasion  that  was  to  be  in  full 
swing  a  quarter  of  a  century  later.  Their  names 
are  as  follows:  Harrison  G.  Rogers,  Silas  Go- 
bel,  Arthur  Black,  John  Gaiter,  Robert  Evans, 
Manuel  Lazarus,  John  Hanna,  John  Wilson,  Mar- 
tin McCoy,  Daniel  Ferguson,  Peter  Ranne  (a 
negro),  Abraham  LaPlant,  Jame^  Read,  John 
Reubasco,  and  one  Robiseau. 

Following  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  River  from 
Great  Salt  Lake,  Smith's  party  skirted  the  east- 
ern shore  of  Utah  Lake.     Having  reached  the 


236  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

point  where  the  lake  shore  bears  westward,  they 
struck  out  across  the  barren  country  to  the  south- 
west, and  early  in  September  came  upon  the 
Sevier  River,  flowing  in  a  northerly  direction. 
Smith  called  this  Ashley's  River,  and  assumed  that 
it  emptied  into  Utah  Lake  —  a  natural  assump- 
tion, considering  the  direction  of  the  stream  and 
the  fact  that  he  reached  it  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance south  of  the  abrupt  bend  from  which  it  flows 
southwestwardly  into  Sevier  Lake.  Just  fifty 
years  before,  the  two  Franciscan  padres,  Domin- 
guez  and  Escalante,  in  their  misguided  search  for 
a  direct  route  from  Santa  Fe  to  Monterey,  had 
passed  that  way  with  a  party  of  eight  en  route 
to  Utah  Lake.  Since  then  no  white  man  had  pen- 
etrated that  solitude  until  now. 

Smith's  band  pushed  on  southward  up  \he  val- 
ley of  the  Sevier.  The  last  signs  of  buffalo  had 
been  seen  before  leaving^Utah  Lake,  but  antelope 
and  mountain  sheep  were  still  to  be  found  in  small 
numbers,  and  ^'  black-tailed  hares  "  were  abun- 
dant, so  that  the  men  as  yet  did  not  suffer  want. 
While  ascending  this  stream,  they  came  upon  a 
small  village  of  Sanpet  Indians,  called  Sanpatch 
by  Smith.  The  fact  that  these  wore  "  rabbit  skin 
robes  "  is  suflicient  indication  that  big  game  was 
very  scarce  in  that  region.  ■  Few  in  numbers  and 
poverty-stricken,  it  is  not  surprising  that  this  tribe 
was  "  friendly  disposed  "  toward  the  white  men, 
who  must  have  seemed  immensely  rich  and  pow- 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     237 

erful  with  their  buckskin  clothes,  their  rifles,  and 
their  pack-animals  laden  with  merchandise. 

From  the  headwaters  of  the  Sevier,  the  ex- 
plorers crossed  the  divide  southward  and,  near  the 
end  of  September,  reached  the  headwaters  of  the 
Virgin  ("  of  a  muddy  cast  and  a  little  brackish  ") , 
which  Smith  called  "  Adams'  River  in  compliment 
to  our  President."  With  mountains  to  their  left 
and  a  sandy  waste,  broken  by  occasional  rocky 
hills,  on  their  right,  they  descended  the  Virgin 
through  a  country  where  even  jackrabbits  were 
scarce.  They  now  began  to  know  hunger,  and 
their  horses  grew  lean  and  weak  for  want  of  grass. 
Nor  did  their  meeting  with  the  Paiute  Indians 
bring  them  much  relief.  These,  like  the  Sanpets 
on  the  Sevier,  wore  rabbit  skin  robes  and  were 
poor,  though  we  are  told  that  they  ''  raised  some 
little  corn  and  pumpkins." 

After  ten  days  of  marching  down  the  Virgin, 
so  Smith  tells  us,  he  discovered  a  large  cave  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  "  the  entrance  of  which 
IS  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  high  and  five  or  six 
feet  in  width,"  the  roof,  sides,  and  floor  being 
solid  rock  salt.  Two  days  farther  down  stream, 
through  a  region  where  little  grew  but  cacti  and 
stunted  shrubs,  they  reached  the  point  where  the 
Virgin  empties  Into  the  Colorado.  Crossing  the 
Colorado,  which  Smith  calls  the  Seedskeeder  (Sis- 
kadee),  thus  identifying  it  with  Green  River,  the 
band  travelled  down  the  valley  four  days,  finding 


y 


238  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  country  "  remarkably  barren,  rocky,  and  moun- 
tainous." We  are  not  told  how  they  managed 
to  exist  during  this  time,  but  it  is  reasonable  to 
assume  that  they  lived  on  horse  meat. 

At  length  they  came  upon  the  Mohave  Indians 
(whom  Smith  calls  the  Ammuchabas),  dwelling 
in  a  place  where  the  valley,  opening  out  to  a  width 
of  from  five  to  fifteen  miles,  was  well  timbered 
and  fertile.  The  Mohaves  were  well  supplied 
with  corn,  beans,  pumpkins,  watermelons,  and 
wheat. 

"  I  was  now  nearly  destitute  of  horses,"  says 
Smith,  "  and  had  learned  what  it  was  to  do  with- 
out food.  I  therefore  remained  there  fifteen  days 
and  recruited  my  men,  and  I  was  enabled  also  to 
exchange  my  horses  and  purchase  a  few  more  of 
a  few  runaway  Indians  who  stole  some  from  the 
Spaniards.  I  here  got  information  of  the  Span- 
ish countries  (the  Californias),  obtained  two 
good  guides,  and  recrossed  the  Seedskeeder  which 
I  afterwards  found  emptied  into  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia by  the  name  of  the  CoUarado." 

Having  crossed  the  Colorado  at  the  Needles 
during  the  first  week  of  November,  Smith  and  his 
band  struck  out  across  the  'desert.  "  I  travelled 
a  west  course  fifteen  days,"  he  says,  '*  over  a  coun- 
try of  complete  barrens,  generally  travelling  from 
morning  until  night  without  water.  I  crossed  a 
salt  plain  about  twenty  miles  long  and  eight  wide; 
on  the  surface  was  a  crust  of  beautiful  white  salt, 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     239 

quite  thin.  Under  this  surface  there  Is  a  layer 
of  salt  from  a  half  to  one  and  one-half  inches  in 
depth;  between  this  and  the  upper  layer  there  is 
about  four  inches  of  yellowish  sand." 

Anyone  who  has  crossed  the  Mohave  Desert  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  the 
route  of  which  is  approximately  that  followed  by 
Smith,  can  easily  imagine  what  hardships  were  suf- 
fered by  this  party.  They  had  started  from 
Great  Salt  Lake  with  fifty  horses;  and  though 
they  had  purchased  a  number  while  resting  among 
the  Mohave  Indians,  they  had  but  eighteen  when 
they  reached  the  Spanish  settlements  of  Califor- 
nia. Some  had  doubtless  been  eaten,  but  most 
had  died  for  want  of  pasturage  and  water. 

On  Sunday  evening,  November  26th,  1826, 
Smith's  party  encamped  at  a  point  about  eighteen 
miles  east  of  San  Gabriel  Mission  situated  near 
the  Pueblo  of  Los  Angeles.  The  next  morning, 
so  says  Harrison  G.  Rogers  in  his  journal,  "  We 
got  ready  as  early  as  possible  and  started  a  west 
course  and  travelled  fourteen  miles  and  encamped 
for  the  day.  We  passed  innumerable  herds  of 
cattle,  horses,  and  some  hundreds  of  sheep.  We 
passed  four  or  five  Indian  lodges,  that  their  Indians 
act  as  herdsmen.  There  came  an  old  Indian  to  us 
that  speaks  good  Spanish,  and  took  us  with  him 
to  his  mansion,  which  consisted  of  two  rows  of 
large  and  lengthy  buildings,  that  remind  me  of  the 
British  Barracks.     So  soon  as  we  encamped,  there 


240  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

was  plenty  prepared  to  eat,  a  fine  young  cow 
killed,  and  a  plenty  of  corn  meal  given  us.  Pretty 
soon  after,  the  two  commandants  of  the  mission- 
ary establishment  (San  Gabriel)  came  to  us  and 
had  the  appearance  of  gentlemen.  Mr.  Smith 
went  with  them  to  the  Mansion  (Mission)  and  I 
stayed  with  the  company.  There  was  great  feast- 
ing among  the  men  as  they  were  pretty  hungry, 
not  having  any  good  meat  for  some  time." 

The  next  day,  so  Rogers  continues,  "  Mr.  Smith 
wrote  me  that  he  was  received  as  a  gentleman  and 
treated  as  such,  and  that  he  wished  me  to  go  back 
and  look  for  a  pistol  that  wa*'  lost,  and  send  the 
company  on  to  the  missionary  establishment.  I 
complied  with  his  request,  went  back,  and  found 
the  pistol,  and  arrived  late  in  the  evening.  Was 
received  very  politely,  and  showed  into  a  room 
and  my  arms  taken  from  me.  About  ten  o'clock 
at  night  supper  was  served,  and  Mr.  Smith  and 
myself  sent  for.  I  was  introduced  to  the  two 
priests  over  a  glass  of  good  old  whisky  and  found 
them  to  be  very  jovial  friendly  gentlemen.  The 
supper  consisted  of  a  number  of  different  dishes, 
served  different  from  any  table  I  ever  saw. 
Plenty  of  good  wine  during  supper.  Before  the 
cloth  was  removed  cigars  were  Introduced." 

It  was  a  strange  society  into  which  these  Amer- 
ican trappers  had  come  —  almost  like  men  from 
another  planet.  Their  trail  from  St.  Louis  up 
^      the    Missouri,    the   Piatte   and   the   Sweetwater, 


V  j!mn 


«#'<^i-. 


x^iM^ 


Original   in  possession  of  South   Dakota  Historical   Society- 
Letter  from   Hugh   Glass  Relative   to   Death   of   Gardner 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     241 

through  South  Pass  to  Salt  Lake  by  way  of  the 
Bear  River,  past  Utah  Lake,  up  the  Sevier,  down 
the  Virgin  and  Colorado,  and  westward  across  the 
Mohave  Desert,  had  led  them  far  as  to  space, 
but  farther  as  to  time;  for  they  had  actually  jour- 
neyed backward  through  the  Past  of  the  Race,  to 
a  pastoral,  theocratic  age ! 

At  this  point,  a  brief  sketch  of  early  California 
history  may  not  come  amiss.  In  1543,  Juan  Cab- 
rillo,  a  Spanish  navigator,  had  explored  the  south- 
ern coast  of  Upper  California,  then,  and  for  many 
years  thereafter,  supposed  to  be  an  island  or  an 
archipelago  with  an  extension  of  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia on  the  east  and  the  mythical  Strait  of 
Anian  (an  arm  of  Hudson  Bay!)  on  the  north. 
In  the  8o's  and  90's  of  the  same  century,  two 
Spanish  galleons,  trading  with  the  Philippines 
from  the  west  coast  of  Mexico,  had  touched  upon 
the  California  shore;  and  in  1602  Sebastian  Vis- 
caino  had  discovered  the  bays  of  San  Diego  and 
Monterey.  For  over  a  century  and  a  half  there- 
after, the  country,  though  regarded  as  belonging 
to  the  Spanish  crown,  was  unvisited,  and  remained 
little  more  than  a  name  associated  with  the 
"  Northern  Mystery."  Now  and  then  a  galleon, 
homeward  bound  from  the  Philippines,  sighted  Its 
lonely  headlands  afar  and  sailed  on. 

In  the  middle  of  the  i8th  century  the  Russians 
began  the  exploration  of  Alaska,  and  Spain,  fear- 
ing the  new  influence  growing  up  in  the  far  North, 


242  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

alarmed  at  the  Increasing  frequency  with  which 
the  English  privateers  were  appearing  in  the  Pa- 
cific, and  having  long  felt  the  need  of  a  refitting 
port  for  her  Manila  galleons,  was  aroused  to  a 
new  interest  in  the  land  that  she  had  so  long  neg- 
lected, and  decided  to  occupy  it. 

At  this  time,  however,  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment was  too  poor  to  undertake  the  conquest  of 
the  vast  domain  by  force  of  arms;  and  so  the  task 
was  delegated  to  the  Franciscan  Order  of  mis- 
sionary friars.  I.  B.  Richman  remarks  upon 
*'  the  singular  eflicacy  of  the  Cross  In  the  subjuga- 
tion of  men,"  ^  a  fact  which  the  Spanish  religious 
orders  had  already  demonstrated  in  the  Philippine 
Islands,  Paraguay,  and  Lower  California.  The 
leader  of  the  great  movement  which  now  began 
was  the  famous  Father  Junipero  Serra.  In  1768 
he  accompanied  the  '*  sacred  expedition  "  under 
Jose  de  Galvez,  the  purpose  of  which  was  to  estab- 
lish missions  at  certain  strategic  points  along  the 
California  coast.  The  first,  San  Diego  de  Alcala, 
was  founded  In  July,  1769;  the  second,  San  Carlos 
Borromeo,  near  the  present  Monterey,  in  1770; 
the  third  San  Antonio  de  Padua,  on  the  San  An- 
tonio River,  in  July,  1771 ;  and  San  Gabriel  Arc- 
angel,  the  fourth,  in  September  of  the  same  year. 
From  that  time  on,  the  movement  had  grown  rap- 
idly. At  the  time  of  Jededlah  Smith's  arrival, 
there  were  twenty  three  thriving  missions  in  Up- 

1 "  California  Under  Spain  and  Mexico." 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     243 

per  California,  reaching  from  the  Bay  of  San 
Francisco  to  San  Diego  Bay.  Of  these,  San 
Gabriel  was  one  of  the  most  important,  owing  to 
the  fertility  of  the  region  and  to  the  fact  that 
there  the  overland  route  from  the  Colorado  River 
met  the  trail  from  Lower  California. 

In  spite  of  the  undeniably  pious  intentions  of 
the  padres,  these  missions  had  grown  to  be  some- 
thing more  than  religious  institutions,  concerned 
with  the  salvation  of  the  Indian  soul.  They 
were  commercial  concerns,  under  theocratic  con- 
trol and  flourishing  by  virtue  of  a  practically  un- 
limited supply  of  slave  labor.  The  Indian  neo- 
phytes tended  the  flocks  and  herds,  spun  wool, 
tanned  hides,  made  tallow  and  soap,  raised  wheat, 
hemp,  grapes,  olives,  oranges,  and  manufactured 
various  articles  in  leather,  wood,  and  iron.  A 
profitable  trade  in  hides  and  tallow  had,  for  many 
years,  been  carried  on  with  the  Boston  ships  that 
came  around  the  Horn  —  a  voyage  that  often  re- 
quired as  much  as  six  months  to  make.  R.  H. 
Dana,  in  "  Two  Years  Before  the  Mast,"  has  left 
us  a  vivid  account  of  that  industry  as  it  was  car- 
ried on  along  the  coast  during  the  period  with 
which  we  are  concerned. 

Four  years  before  Smith's  arrival,  the  Province 
of  Upper  California  had  given  allegiance  to  Mex- 
ico, which  had  broken  away  from  Spain  in  181 1. 

Now  the  cordial  reception  of  the  first  overland 
Americans  by  the  benevolent  and  lovable  padres 


244  ^^^  Splendid  Wayfaring 

of  San  Gabriel  Mission  proved  to  be  somewhat 
misleading;  for  there  was  another  power  in  the 
country  with  which  the  party  was  obliged  to 
reckon  —  the  civil  authorities.  As  we  have  seen, 
the  first  settlements  in  California  had  been 
founded  as  the  result  of  suspicion  and  fear  —  sus- 
picion of  the  Russians,  fear  of  the  British  bucca- 
neers of  the  type  of  Hawkins  and  Drake.  Since 
the  ship  Otter  of  Boston  had  dropped  anchor  in 
the  Bay  of  Monterey  just  thirty  years  before,  the 
Americans  had  come  to  be  regarded  with  some 
dread;  and  not  without  cause,  as  history  has  long 
since  made  plain,  and  as  the  conduct  of  the  Bos- 
ton smugglers  and  traders  along  the  coast  had 
then  already  demonstrated.  We  Americans  are 
a  virile,  driving  breed;  and  we  must  have  seemed 
rather  grasping  and  godless  to  the  ease-loving 
Spaniards  of  the  Coast  in  those  days.  Why  had 
these  barbaric  trappers  from  the  central  wilds  of 
the  continent  entered  California?  Was  a  new 
race  of  Goths  looking  lustfully  upon  a  new  Italy? 
r  "  Immediately  upon  arriving  at  San  Gabriel, 
I  Smith  was  informed  that  he  could  not  proceed 
without  a  passport  from  the  civil  authorities,  and 
^  accordingly  he  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of 
the  Province,  Jose  Maria  de  Echeandia,  whose  of- 
ficial residence  was  then  at  San  Diego,  giving  rea- 
sons for  his  presence  in  the  country  and  asking 
permission  to  continue  his  journey  northward. 
Smith's  reasons  seem  to  have  been  rather  more 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     245 

strategic  than  factual,  and  considering  those  with 
whom  he  had  to  deal,  he  was  doubtless  justified  in 
making  them  so.  The  Governor  was  given  to  un- 
derstand that  the  party  had  been  "  compelled  for 
want  of  provisions  and  water  "  to  enter  Califor- 
nia. Though  an  answer  was  expected  within  a 
few  days,  more  than  a  month  was  to  elapse  before 
satisfactory  arrangements  could  be  made  with 
Echeandia ;  and,  knowing  this,  we  may  as  well  pass 
the  time  among  the  luxury-loving  padres  with 
Harrison  G.  Rogers.  Here  follow  extracts  from 
his  diary: 

"  November  29th.  Still  at  the  mansion  (Mis- 
sion). We  were  sent  for  about  sunrise  to  drink 
a  cup  of  tea,  and  eat  some  bread  and  cheese. 
They  all  appear  friendly  and  treat  us  well.  Al- 
though they  are  Catholics  by  profession,  they  al- 
low us  the  liberty  of  conscience,  and  treat  us  as 
they  dc  their  own  countrymen  and  brethren. 

"  About  eleven  o'clock  dinner  was  ready,  and 
the  priest  came  after  us  to  go  and  dine.  We  were 
invited  into  the  office  and  invited  to  take  a  glass 
of  gin  and  water  and  eat  some  bread  and  cheese. 
Directly  after,  we  were  seated  at  dinner,  and 
everything  went  on  in  style,  both  the  priests  being 
pretty  merry,  the  clerk  and  one  other  gentleman 
who  speaks  some  English.  They  all  appear  to 
be  gentlemen  of  the  first  class,  both  in  manners 
and  habits.  The  Mission  consists  of  four  rows 
of  houses  forming  a  complete  square,  where  there 


246  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

are  all  kinds  of  mechanics  at  work.  The  church 
faces  the  east,  and  the  guard  house,  the  west. 
The  north  and  south  line  comprises  the  work 
shops.  They  have  large  vineyards,  apple  and 
peach  orchards,  and  some  orange  and  some  fig 
trees.  They  manufacture  blankets  and  sundry 
other  articles.  They  distil  whisky  and  grind  their 
own  grain,  having  a  water  mill  of  a  tolerable  qual- 
ity. They  have  upwards  of  one  thousand  persons 
employed,  men,  women,  and  children,  Indians  of 
various  nations.  The  situation  is  very  handsome, 
pretty  streams  of  water  running  through  from  all 
quarters,  some  thousands  of  acres  of  fertile  land, 
as  level  as  a  die  in  view,  and  a  part  under  cultiva- 
tion, surrounded  on  the  north  with  a  high  moun- 
tain, handsomely  timbered  with  pine  and  cedar, 
and  on  the  south  with  low  mountains  covered  with 
grass.  Cattle  —  this  Mission  has  upwards  of 
thirty  thousand  head  of  cattle,  and  horses,  sheep, 
hogs,  etc.  in  proportion.  .  .  .  They  slaughter  at 
this  place  from  two  to  three  thousand  head  of  cat- 
tle at  a  time.     The  Mission  lives  on  the  profits. 

'*  November  30th.  There  was  a  wedding  in 
this  place  today,  and  Mr.  Smith  and  myself  in- 
vited. The  bell  was  rung  a  little  before  sunrise, 
and  the  morning  service  performed.  Then  the 
music  commenced  serenading,  the  soldiers  firing, 
etc.  About  seven  o'clock  tea  and  bread  served, 
and  about  eleven,  dinner  and  music.  The  cere- 
mony and  dinner  were  held  at  the  priest's.     They 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     247 

had  an  elegant  dinner,  consisting  of  a  number  of 
dishes,  boiled  and  roast  meat  and  fowl,  wine  and 
brandy,  grapes  brought  as  a  dessert.  Mr. 
Smith  and  myself  acted  quite  independent,  not 
understanding  their  language,  nor  they  ours. 
We  endeavored  to  apologize,  being  very  dirty  and 
not  in  a  situation  to  shift  our  clothing;  but  no  ex- 
cuse would  be  taken.  They  treat  us  as  gentle- 
men in  every  sense  of  the  word;  and  although  our 
apparel  is  so  indifferent,  and  we  not  being  in  cir- 
cumstances at  this  time  to  help  ourselves,  being 
about  eight  hundred  miles  on  a  direct  line  from 
the  place  of  our  deposit.  .  .  .  Our  two  Indian 
guides  were  imprisoned  in  the  guard  house  the  sec- 
ond day  after  we  arrived  at  the  missionary  estab- 
lishment, and  remain  confined  as  yet. 

"  December  ist,  1826.  We  still  remain  at  the 
Mission  of  San  Gabriel;  things  going  on  as  usual; 
all  friendship  and  peace.  Mr.  Smith  set  his  black- 
smiths, James  Reed  and  Silas  Gobel,  to  work  in 
the  blacksmith  shop  to  make  a  bear  trap  for  the 
priest,  agreeable  to  promise  yesterday.  Mr. 
Smith  and  the  interpreter  went  in  the  evening  to 
the  next  Mission,  called  St.  Pedro  (on  San  Pedro 
Bay),  a  Spanish  gentleman  from  the  Mission  hav- 
ing sent  his  servant  with  horses  for  them.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Smith  informed  me  this  morning  that  he  had 
to  give  Reed  a  little  flogging  yesterday  evening  on 
account  of  some  impertinence.  He  appeared 
more  complaisant  this  morning  than  usual. 


248  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

*'  December  2nd.  .  .  .  Mr.  Smith  has  not  re- 
turned from  the  Mission  as  yet.  This  province  is 
called  the  Province  of  New  California.  This  mis- 
sion ships  annually  from  twenty  to  twenty  five 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  hides  and  tallow,  and 
about  twenty  thousand  dollars  worth  of  soap.  .  .  . 
The  Indians  appear  to  be  much  altered  from  the 
wild  Indians  in  the  mountains  that  we  have  passed. 
They  are  kept  In  great  fear.  For  the  least  of- 
fence they  are  corrected.  They  are  complete 
slaves  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Smith  and  La  Plant  returned  late  in  the  evening, 
and  represent  their  treatment  to  be  good  at  the 
other  Mission.  Mr.  Smith  tells  me  that  Mr. 
Francisco,  the  Spanish  gentleman  that  he  went  to 
visit,  promises  him  as  many  horses  and  mules  as 
he  wants. 

"  December  4th.  Still  at  San  Gabriel;  things 
much  as  usual.  The  priest  presented  Mr.  Smith 
with  two  pieces  of  shirting  containing  sixty  four 
yards,  for  to  make  the  men  shirts,  all  being  nearly 
naked. 

*'  December  7th.  No  answer  as  yet  from  the 
Governor  of  the  Province.  Mr.  Smith  and  all 
hands  getting  impatient.  .  .  . 

"  December  8th.  Mr.  Smith  was  sent  for,  to 
go  to  San  Diego  to  see  the  Governor.  Captain 
Cunningham,  commanding  the  ship  Courier^  now 
lying  in  port  at  San  Diego,  arrived  here  late  this 
evening.     The  Captain  is  a  Bostonian  and  has 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     249 

been  trading  on  the  coast  for  hides  and  tallow 
since  June  last.  He  informs  me  that  he  is  rather 
under  the  impression  that  he  shall  be  obliged  to  re- 
main until  some  time  in  the  succeeding  summer, 
in  consequence  of  so  much  opposition,  as  there  are 
a  number  of  vessels  on  the  coast  trading  for  the 
same  articles.  .  .  .  Mr.  Martinas  tells  me  that 
there  are  between  sixteen  and  seventeen  thousand 
natives  that  are  converted  to  the  Catholic  faith 
and  under  the  control  of  the  different  missions. 
The  white  population  he  estimates  at  six  thousand, 
making  twenty  two  or  twenty  three  thousand  souls 
in  the  Province  of  New  California. 

"  December  9th.  Mr.  Smith  and  one  of  the 
men,  in  company  with  Captain  Cunningham,  left 
San  Gabriel  this  morning  for  San  Diego,  the  Gov- 
ernor's place  of  residence.  .  .  . 

"  December  loth,  Sunday.  There  were  five 
Indians  brought  to  the  Mission  and  sentenced  to 
be  whipped  for  not  going  to  work  when  ordered. 
Each  received  from  twelve  to  fourteen  lashes. 
They  were  all  old  men,  say  from  fifty  to  sixty 
years,  the  commandant  standing  by  with  his  sword 
to  see  that  the  Indian  who  flogged  them  did  his 
duty.  .  .  .  They  keep  at  this  place  four  small 
field  pieces,  two  six-pounders  and  two  two-pound- 
ers, to  protect  them  from  the  Indians  in  case  they 
should  rebel. 

"  December  13th.  I  walked  through  the  work- 
shops.    I  saw  some  Indians  blacksmithing,  same 


250  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

carpentering,  others  making  the  woodwork  of 
plows,  others  employed  in  making  spinning  wheels 
for  the  squaws  to  spin  on.  There  are  upwards  of 
sixty  women  employed  in  spinning  yarn  and  weav- 
ing. .  .  .  Our  blacksmiths  have  been  employed 
for  several  days  making  horse  shoes  and  nails  for 
our  own  use  when  we  leave  here. 

*'  December  14th.  I  was  asked  by  the  priest  to 
let  our  blacksmiths  make  a  large  trap  for  him  to 
set  in  his  orange  garden  to  catch  the  Indians  when 
they  come  up  at  night  to  rob  his  orchard. 

"December  i8th.  I  received  a  letter  from 
Mr.  Smith  informing  me  that  he  was  rather  un- 
der the  impression  that  he  would  be  detained  for 
some  time  yet,  as  the  general  did  not  like  to  take 
the  responsibility  on  himself  to  let  us  pass,  until 
he  received  instructions  from  the  general  in  Mex- 
ico. .  .  .  Our  men  have  been  employed  in  fitting 
out  a  cargo  of  hides,  tallow  and  soap  for  a  Mr. 
Henry  Edwards.  He  is  what  they  call  here  a 
Mexican  trader. 

"  December  19th.  This  mission,  if  properly 
managed,  would  be  equal  to  a  mine  of  silver  or 
gold.  Their  farms  are  extensive.  They  raise 
from  three  thousand  to  four  thousand  bushels  of 
wheat  annually,  and  sell  to  shippers  for  three  dol- 
lars per  bushel.  The  annual  income,  situated  as 
it  is  and  managed  so  badly  by  the  Indians,  is 
worth,  in  hides,  tallow,  soap,  wine,  brandy,  wheat, 
and  corn,  from  fifty  five  to  sixty  thousand  dollars. 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     251 

"  December  20th.  I  expect  an  answer  from 
Mr.  Smith  in  six  or  eight  days  if  he  does  not  get 
permission  to  pass  on.  My  situation  is  a  very 
dehcate  one,  as  I  have  to  be  among  the  grandees 
of  the  country  every  day.  ...  I  make  a  very 
grotesque  appearance  when  seated  at  table 
amongst  the  dandies  with  their  ruffles,  silks,  and 
broad  clothes.  .   .  . 

"  January  6th,  1827.  This  being  what  is  called 
Epiphany,  or  Old  Christmas  Day.  .  .  .  Church 
held  early  as  usual,  men,  women,  and  children  at- 
tend. After  church  the  ceremonies  as  on  Sun- 
days. Wine  issued  abundantly  to  both  Span- 
iards and  Indians,  music  played  by  the  Indian 
band.  After  the  issue  of  the  morning,  our  men, 
in  company  with  some  Spaniards,  went  and  fired  a 
salute,  arid  the  old  Padre  gave  them  wine,  bread, 
and  meat  as  a  treat.  Some  of  the  men  got  drunk 
and  two  of  them,  James  Reed  and  Daniel  Fergu- 
son, commenced  fighting,  and  some  of  the  Span- 
iards interfered  and  struck  one  of  our  men  by  the 
name  of  Black,  which  came  very  near  terminating 
with  bad  consequences.  .  .  .  Our  blacksmith, 
James  Reed,  came  very  abruptly  into  the  priest's 
dining  room  while  at  dinner,  and  asked  for  brandy. 
The  priest  ordered  a  plate  of  victuals  to  be  handed 
to  him.  He  ate  a  few  mouthfuls,  and  set  the 
plate  on  the  table,  and  then  took  up  the  decanter 
of  wine  and  drank  without  invitation,  and  came 
very  near  breaking  the  glass  when  he  set  it  down. 


252  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

The  Padre,  seeing  he  was  in  a  state  of  inebriety, 
refrained  from  saying  anything.   .  .  . 

"  Monday,  January  8th.  Last  night  there  was 
a  great  fandango  or  dance  among  the  Spaniards. 
They  kept  it  up  till  nearly  daylight.  .   .  . 

"  Wednesday,  January  loth.  About  noon  Mr. 
Smith,  Captain  Cunningham,  Mr.  Shaw,  and 
Thomas  Dodge  came  to  the  Mission  from  the 
ship  Courier^  and  I  was  much  rejoiced  to  see  them, 
as    I    have    been    waiting    with    anxiety    to    see 

him.  .  .  r 

So  runs  a  portion  of  the  diary  of  Harrison  G. 
Rogers  —  a  Western  Pepys. 

After  weeks  of  trying  negotiations  with  the 
suspicious  and  procrastinating  authorities,  Smith, 
with  the  aid  of  Captain  Cunningham  and  several 
other  New  England  seamen  then  on  the  coast, 
managed  to  get  permission  to  proceed  on  his  way. 
From  San  Diego  he  sailed  to  the  port  of  San 
Pedro  on  board  the  Courier  with  Captain  Cun- 
ningham; and  by  the  middle  of  January,  1827,  we 
find  him  at  the  Pueblo  of  Los  Angeles  engaged  in 
buying  horses  for  his  journey. 

On  the  1 6th  of  January  Smith  returned  to  the 
Mission  from  the  Pueblo  with  the  horses  he  had 
purchased  there.  During  the  following  day  prep- 
arations were  made  for  resuming  the  journey,  and 
old  Father  Sanchez,  who  had  already  given  much 
to  the  visitors,  outdid  himself  in  generosity. 
When  the  band  was  ready  to  start,  Daniel  Fer- 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     253 

guson,  who  was  evidently  well  pleased  with  South- 
ern California  and  had  no  desire  to  experience  any 
further  hardships  in  the  wilderness,  could  not  be 
found.  John  Wilson  also  remained  at  San  Ga- 
briel, probably  by  arrangement  with  Smith. 

On  the  1 8th  of  January,  1827,  the  party,  now 
consisting  of  fourteen  men,  including  Smith,  set 
put  northwestward  with  sixty  eight  horses  which, 
being  for  the  most  part  unbroken,  soon  became  un- 
manageable and  ran  "  eight  or  ten  miles  "  with  the 
packs  before  they  could  be  stopped.  Camp  was 
made  that  night  at  the  Indian  farmhouse  where 
the  party  had  passed  the  night  of  November  27th, 
1826,  and  Smith  and  Rogers  returned  to  the  Mis- 
sion for  a  farewell  supper  with  the  friendly 
padres. 

Travelling  in  a  northeasterly  direction  for  the 
next  two  days,  they  made  camp  within  four  miles 
of  San  Bernardino,  "  where,"  says  Rogers,  '*  we 
have  an  order  from  the  Governor  and  our  old 
Father  Joseph  Sanchez  for  all  the  supplies  we 
stand  in  need  of."  Here  some  days  were  spent 
in  purchasing  provisions,  drying  meat,  making 
pack-saddles,  breaking  horses,  and  in  rounding  up 
the  troublesome  herd  which  broke  away  several 
times. 

Thence  pushing  on  in  a  northwesterly  direction 
up  the  great  central  valley  for  a  distance  of  about 
three  hundred  miles,  in  early  spring  the  party 
reached  a   river  which   Smith  called  the   Wim- 


254  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

mulche,  after  a  tribe  of  Indians  found  there. 
Authorities  differ  as  to  the  identity  of  this  stream, 
Chittenden  ^  believing  it  to  be  the  Merced,  and 
Richman,-  the  Mokelumnes;  but  Dale  ^  gives  what 
seem  to  be  conclusive  arguments  in  favor  of  the 
Stanislaus. 

Smith,  eager  to  reach  the  place  of  rendezvous 
agreed  upon  with  Jackson  and  Sublette,  now  un- 
dertook to  cross  the  Sierras.  His  chosen  route, 
which  is  not  definitely  known,  probably  ran 
twenty  five  or  thirty  miles  north  of  the  Yosemite 
Valley.  "  I  found  the  snow  so  deep  on  Mount 
Joseph,"  he  wrote  to  General  Clark,  "  that  I 
could  not  cross  my  horses,  five  of  which  starved  to 
death.  I  was  compelled,  therefore,  to  return  to 
the  valley  which  I  had  left,  and  there,  leaving  my 
party,  I  started  with  two  men,  seven  horses  and 
two  mules  and  provisions  for  ourselves,  and 
started  on  the  20th  of  May,  and  succeeded  in 
crossing  it  in  eight  days,  having  lost  only  two 
horses  and  one  mule.  I  found  the  snow  on  the 
top  of  this  mountain  from  four  to  eight  feet  deep, 
but  it  was  so  consolidated  by  the  heat  of  the  sun 
that  my  horses  only  sunk  from  half  a  foot  to  one 
foot  deep." 

One  of  the  men  who  accompanied  Smith  Is 
known  to  have  been  the  blacksmith,  Silas  Gobel. 

1 "  History  of  the  American  Fur  Trade."    Page  284  and  Map. 
2  •'  California  Under  Spain  and  Mexico."     Map  of  the  South- 
west. 
*  "  Ashley-Smith  Explorations."     Page  192. 


First  Americans  Overland  to  California     255 

His  other  companion  is  nowhere  named  as  such. 
However,  by  collating  the  lists  of  those  who  are 
known  to  have  been,  or  must  have  been,  in  the 
parties  of  1826,  1827,  and  1828,  it  appears  that        3 
Smith's    other    companion    could   have    been    no<^«-  ^ 
other  than  IJobiseau. 

"  After  travelling  twenty  days  from  the  east 
v^ide  of  Mount  Joseph,"  continues  Smith's  letter, 
"I  struck  the  southwest  corner  of  Great  Salt 
Lake,  travelling  over  a  country  completely  barren 
and  destitute  of  game.  We  frequently  travelled 
without  water,  sometimes  for  two  days  over  sandy 
deserts  where  there  was  no  sign  of  vegetation,  and 
when  we  found  water  in  some  of  the  rocky  hills, 
we  most  generally  found  some  Indians  who  ap- 
peared the  most  miserable  of  the  human  race,  hav- 
ing nothing  to  subsist  on  (nor  any  clothing)  except 
grass-seed,  grasshoppers,  etc.  When  we  arrived 
at  the  Salt  Lake,  we  had  but  one  horse  and  one 
mule  remaining,  which  were  so  feeble  and  poor 
that  they  could  scarce  carry  the  little  camp  equip- 
age which  I  had  along;  the  balance  of  my  horses 
I  was  compelled  to  eat  as  they  gave  out." 

Thus  characteristically,  with  few  words.  Smith 
describes  what  was  unquestionably  a  great  feat 
and  what  must  have  been  a  terrible  experience. 
Twenty  days  of  toil  and  suffering  in  an  unknown 
desert,  and  all  summed  up  in  one  hundred  fifty 
words !  Most  men  would  require  more  space  for 
the  discussion  of  an  aching  tooth. 


256  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

With  two  companions  Smith  had  at  last  pene- 
trated the  great  triangular  white  space  of  his 
dream.  He  had  found  no  pleasant  valleys  rich 
in  beaver;  but  he  had  been  the  first  to  travel  the 
central  route  between  the  Great  Salt  Lake  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  road  from  the  Missouri 
River  to  San  Francisco  Bay  was  now  open,  await- 
ing the  wagons  of  the  settlers  —  and  the  official 
explorers  I 


XX 

smith's  second  journey  1 

ON  about  the  17th  of  June,  1827,  Jedediah 
Smith  and  his  two  companions,  having 
crossed  the  Nevada  deserts,  reached  the  southern 
end  of  Salt  Lake,  from  whence  they  hastened  on 
to  the  southern  end  of  Bear  Lake,  the  place 
chosen  by  the  three  partners  for  the  summer 
rendezvous.  On  July  17th,  we  find  Smith  still 
at  the  Bear  Lake  rendezvous,  writing  a  brief  ac- 
count of  his  recent  journey  to  the  Superintendent 
of  Indian  Affairs,  General  William  Clark. 
Shortly  thereafter  his  second  journey  to  Cali- 
fornia began.  His  party  consisted  of  nineteen 
men  and  two  Indian  women.  The  names  of  the 
men  are  as  follows:  Thomas  Virgin  (for  whom 
the  Virgin  River  was  named),  Charles  Swift, 
Toussaint  Marishall,  John  Turner,  Joseph  Pal- 
mer, Joseph  La  Point,  Thomas  Daws,  Richard 
Taylor,  Silas  Gobel,  David  Cunningham,  Francis 
Deramme,  William  Campbell,  Boatswain  Brown, 

^This  chapter  is  based  on  a  MS.  of  the  Kansas  Hist.  Soc., 
entitled,  "  Brief  account  of  accidents,  misfortunes,  and  depreda- 
tions committed  by  Indians  on  the  firm  of  Smith,  Jackson  and 
Sublette,  since  July  i,  1826,  to  the  present,  1829";  and  on  the 
Rogers  Journals. 

257 


258  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Gregory  Ortaga,  John  B.  Ratelle,  Pale,  Polite, 
Robiseau,  Isaac  Galbralth. 

Following  the  same  route  that  he  had  taken 
the  year  before,  in  late  August  Smith  reached  the 
country  of  the  Mohave  Indians  near  the  point 
where  the  35th  parallel  crosses  the  Colorado 
River.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Smith  spent 
fifteen  days  with  the  Mohaves  on  his  way  to  Cali- 
fornia the  year  before.  Having  good  reason  to 
regard  them  as  friendly,  he  decided  to  spend  a 
few  days  among  them  now,  resting  his  men  and 
horses  and  purchasing  supplies  before  beginning 
the  difficult  westward  journey  across  the  desert. 
He  could  not  know  that,  during  the  past  year, 
these  Indians  had  been  ordered  by  Governor 
Echeandia  to  stop  any  Americans  who  might  at- 
tempt to  pass  that  way. 

After  spending  three   days   in  peaceful  trade 
with  the  Mohaves,  Smith  prepared  to  resume  his 
journey.     As  on  his  previous  trip,  he  had  crossed      ' 
the  Colorado  some  distance  above,  and  was  now 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river.     Unconscious  of 
treacherous  intent  on  the  part  of  his  hosts,  he 
went  about  the  task  of  transporting  his  party  to 
the  west  bank  by  means  of  rafts  made  of  bundles 
of  reeds,  the  Indians  very  obligingly  lending  a 
hand.     Smith  and  nine  of  his  men  had  already 
crossed,  some  of  the  party  was  still  on  the  east  ^ 
shore,   and  the   remainder   on   the   raft  in  mid- ' 
stream,  when,  at  a  signal,  the  Mohaves  fell  upon 


Smithes  Second  Journey  259 

their  departing  guests.  The  two  Indian  women 
were  taken  captive,  Thomas  Virgin  was  seriously 
wounded,  and  the  following  ten,  who  had  not  yet 
reached  the  west  bank,  were  massacred:  Gobel, 
Cunningham,  Deramme,  Campbell,  Brown,  Or- 
taga,  Ratelle,  Pale,  Polite,  and  Robiseau.  All  of 
Smith's  property  and  papers  were  lost. 
Lrhere  was  nothing  for  the  survivors  to  do  but 
to  flee  into  the  desert  to  the  west.  Travelling 
both  by  night  and  by  day,  they  reached  the  Span- 
ish settlements  near  San  Gabriel  Mission  In  nine 
and  one-half  days.  Considering  the  fact  that 
Smith  had  spent  fifteen  days  in  covering  the  same 
ground  on  his  former  trip,  one  can  Imagine  the 
mood  of  desperation  that  drove  him  now. 

Immediately  upon  arriving  at  the  settlements, 
Smith  reported  by  letter  to  the  proper  authorities; 
and,  having  purchased  some  supplies  (for  the 
party  was  destitute),  he  pushed  on  northwest- 
wardly up  the  central  valley  to  join  the  band  of 
eleven  men  that  he  had  left  in  the  region  of  the 
Stanislaus  River  on  his  departure  for  Salt  Lake 
in  May  of  that  year.  During  the  absence  of  their 
leader,  the  little  band  had  fared  badly,  and  Smith 
found  them  half  starved.  He  and  his  companions 
were  no  better  off;  and  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  to  place  himself  once  more  at  the  doubtful 
mercy  of  the  Spaniards.  So,  with  two  Indian 
guides,  Smith  went  to  the  Mission  of  San  Jose  — 
a  three  days'  journey.     There  he  made  his  wants 


26o  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

known  and  asked  permission  to  go  on  to  Mon- 
terey where  Governor  Echeandia  was  then  re- 
siding. He  was  arrested  and  thrown  Into  a  guard 
house,  from  which,  however,  he  was  allowed  to 
write  to  the  Captain  of  the  Upper  Province. 

About  two  weeks  passed  before  he  received  a 
letter  from  the  Governor,  Inviting  him  to  call. 
Then,  disarmed  and  guarded  by  four  soldiers,  he 
set  out  for  Monterey,  where  he  arrived  at  mid- 
night after  a  journey  of  three  days.  Again  he 
was  thrown  Into  prison,  remaining  there  without 
food  or  water  until  the  following  noon,  when  the 
Governor  sent  for  him. 

As  a  result  of  the  first  interview.  Smith  "  ob- 
tained liberty  of  the  limits  of  the  town  and  harbor 
and  of  boarding  with  an  American  gentleman 
(Captain  Cooper)  of  Boston."  Day  after  day 
passed  by,  and  still  Echeandia  could  not  make  up 
his  mind  as  to  what  should  be  done  with  this 
American  trapper  who  had  actually  committed 
the  crime  of  entering  Mexican  territory!  At 
times  it  seemed  that  the  Intruder  would  be  sent 
to  Mexico;  again,  he  must  leave  the  country  by 
ship;  at  other  times,  the  whole  party  yonder  In 
the  region  of  the  Stanislaus  was  to  be  summoned 
to  Monterey. 

Finally,  when  it  became  apparent  that  the  Gov- 
ernor was  quite  incapable  of  a  decision,  four 
American  sea  captains,  whose  vessels  were  lying 
in  the  harbor,  took  the  matter  into  their  own 


Smith's  Second  Journey  261 

hands  and  appointed  Captain  Cooper  agent  for 
the  United  States.  Cooper  soon  settled  the  mat- 
ter, and  on  November  15th,  1827,  Smith  gave 
bond  in  the  sum  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  prom- 
ising to  leave  the  country  within  two  monthsj 

Smith  had  left  nineteen  men  encamped  in  the 
region  of  the  Stanislaus  when  he  went  to  Mon- 
terey; and  during  his  tedious  negotiations  with  the 
Governor,  these  had  been  brought  into  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  Smith  now  joined  them  after  pur- 
chasing some  horses,  guns,  ammunition  and  other 
necessities.  Thomas  Virgin,  who  had  been  left 
in  the  South  because  of  his  wounds,  was  sent  for. 
At  about  this  time  two  of  the  men,  who  seem  to 
have  been  Isaac  Galbraith  and  the  quarrelsome 
blacksmith,  James  Read,  deserted,  leaving  the  fol- 
lowing nineteen  in  the  band  that  began  the  return 
journey  early  in  December :  Smith,  Rogers,  Vir- 
gin, Black,  La  Point,  Daws,  La  Plant,  Swift, 
Turner,  Gaiter,  Hanna,  Lazarus,  Palmer,  Ranne 
(the  negro),  Taylor,  McCoy,  Reubasco,  Mari- 
shall,  and  Evans. 

Trapping  as  they  went,  these  moved  slowly  up 
the  Sacramento  River,  spending  considerable  time 
on  the  largest  tributary  of  that  stream,  which, 
for  that  reason,  has  since  been  called  American 
Fork.  It  seems  to  have  been  Smith's  intention 
to  cross  the  Sierras  as  early  in  the  spring  as  pos- 
sible, and  return  to  Salt  Lake  through  the  un- 
known country  lying  north  of  his  route  of  1827. 


262  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

But  in  April,  1828,  after  several  unsuccessful  at- 
tempts to  find  a  practicable  pass  to  the  eastward, 
he  was  forced  to  change  his  plan  and  make  for 
the  Columbia.  He  now  left  the  Sacramento  Val- 
ley, striking  out  through  the  mountainous  country 
in  the  direction  of  the  coast. 

By  the  13th  of  May,  1828,  he  had  crossed  the 
Trinity  River  near  latitude  40°  30',  and  reached 
the  base  of  Hoopa  Mountain.  The  following  ex- 
tracts from  the  Journal  kept  by  Rogers  during 
this  time  will  give  some  Idea  of  the  difficulties 
encountered  by  the  party : 

"Wednesday,  May  14th.  We  made  an  early 
start,  directing  our  course  northwest,  and  trav- 
elled four  miles  and  encamped  on  the  top  of  a 
high  mountain,  where  there  was  but  indifferent 
grass  for  the  horses.  The  travelling  amazing 
bad;  we  descended  one  point  of  brushy  and  rocky 
mountain  where  it  took  us  about  six  hours  to 
get  the  horses  down,  some  of  them  falling  about 
fifty  feet  perpendicular  down  a  steep  place  into 
a  creek.  One  broke  his  neck.  A  number  of 
packs  left  along  the  trail,  as  night  was  fast  ap- 
proaching, and  we  were  obliged  to  leave  them  and 
get  what  horses  we  could,  collected  at  camp.  A 
number  more  got  badly  hurt  by  the  falls,  but 
none  killed  but  this  one  that  broke  his  neck.  Saw 
some  Indians  (Hoopas)  that  crossed  the  river  in 
a  canoe  and  came  to  see  us.  .  .  .  They  appear 


Smithes  Second  Journey  263 

afraid  of  horses.  They  are  very  light-colored 
Indians,  quite  small  and  talkative. 

"  Thursday,  15th  May,  1828.  The  men  were 
divided  into  parties  this  morning,  some  sent  hunt- 
ing, as  we  have  no  meat  in  camp,  others  sent  back 
for  the  horses. 

"Friday,  May  i6th,  1828.  We  concluded 
that  it  was  best  to  lie  by  today  and  send  two  men 
to  look  out  a  pass  to  travel,  as  the  country  looks 
awful  ahead,  and  let  our  horses  rest,  as  there  is 
pretty  good  grass  about  one  mile  off  for  them  to 
feed  on.  .  .  . 

"  Saturday,  May  17th.  The  two  men  that 
were  sent  on  discovery  yesterday  returned  this 
morning,  and  say  that  we  are  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  from  the  North  Pacific  Ocean.  They  re- 
port game  plenty,  such  as  elk  and  deer.  They 
report  the  travelhng  favorable  to  what  it  has 
been  for  thirty  or  forty  miles  back.  .  .  .  The 
two  men,  Marishall  and  Turner,  that  were  sent 
off  yesterday,  killed  three  deer,  and  Captain  Smith 
has  dispatched  two  men  after  the  meat,  as  the 
camp  is  almost  destitute. 

"  Monday,  May  19th.  We  made  an  early 
start  this  morning,  steering  our  course  as  yester- 
day, six  miles  west,  and  encamped  on  the  side  of 
the  mountain.  .  .  .  The  travelling  some  better 
than  it  was  back,  although  we  have  hills  and  brush 
to  encounter  yet.     We  encamped  about  six  miles 


264  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

from  the  ocean,  where  we  have  a  fair  view  of  it. 
"  Tuesday,  May  20th.  As  our  horses  were 
lame  and  tired,  we  concluded  to  remain  here  and 
let  them  rest,  and  kill  and  dry  meat,  as  elk  ap- 
peared to  be  plenty  from  the  sign.  After  break- 
fast myself  and  Mr.  Virgin  started  on  horse  back 
for  the  sea  shore,  following  an  Indian  trail  that 
led  immediately  there.  After  proceeding  about 
five  miles  west,  we  found  we  could  not  get  any 
further  on  horse  back  along  the  Indian  trail;  so 
we  struck  out  from  the  creek  that  we  had  fol- 
lowed down,  and  about  three  miles  from  where 
we  first  struck  it.  After  leaving  the  creek  with 
some  considerable  difficulty,  we  ascended  a  point 
of  steep  and  brushy  mountain  that  runs  along 
parallel  to  the  seashore,  and  followed  that  until 
we  could  get  no  further  for  rocks  and  brush.  We 
got  within  eighty  or  one  hundred  yards  of  the 
beach,  but  being  pretty  much  fatigued,  and  not 
able  to  ride  down  on  account  of  rocks  and  brush, 
we  did  not  proceed  any  further  in  that  direction. 
.  .  .  On  our  return  we  saw  some  elk.  I  went 
after  them,  and  Mr.  Virgin  stayed  with  the  horses. 
I  did  not  get  to  fire  'on  them,  and  saw  a  black 
bear  and  made  after  him,  and  shot  and  wounded 
him  very  badly,  and  heard  Mr.  Virgin  shoot  and 
call  me  to  come  to  him.  I  made  all  the  haste  I 
could  in  climbing  the  mountain  to  where  Mr.  Vir- 
gin was.  He  told  me  that  some  Indians  had 
attacked  him  in  my  absence,  shot  a  number  of 


Smithes  Second  Journey  265 

arrows  at  him  and  wounded  the  horses.  ...  I 
rested  a  few  minutes  and  proceeded  on  cautiously 
to  the  place  where  we  had  left  the  horses,  and 
found  an  Indian  lying  dead  and  his  dog  by  him. 
Mr.  Virgin's  horse  had  two  or  three  arrows  in 
him,  and  he  lying  down.  We  got  him  up  and 
made  camp  a  little  before  night. 

*' Wednesday,  May  21st.  Still  at  the  same 
camp.  .  .  .  The  timber  in  this  part  of  this  coun- 
try is  principally  hemlock,  pine,  and  white  cedar, 
the  cedar  trees  from  five  to  fifteen  feet  in  diam- 
eter. The  underbrush  is  hazel,  oak,  briars,  cur- 
rants, gooseberry  and  Scotch-cap  bushes,  together 
with  alder,  and  sundry  other  shrubs  too  tedious 
to  mention.  The  soil  of  the  country  is  very  rich 
and  black,  but  very  mountainous,  which  renders 
the  travelling  almost  impossible  with  so  many 
horses  as  we  have. 

"  Thursday,  May  22nd.  All  hands  up  early 
and  preparing  for  a  move.  Had  the  horses 
driven  to  camp  and  caught  ready  for  packing  up, 
and  it  commenced  raining  so  fast  that  we  con- 
cluded to  remain  here  today,  as  we  could  not  see 
to  direct  our  course  for  fog  along  the  mountains. 
We  have  not  seen  or  heard  any  Indians  since  the 
20th,  when  Mr.  Virgin  killed  the  one  that  shot 
at  his  horse.  Oh,  God,  may  it  please  Thee,  in 
Thy  divine  providence,  to  still  guide  and  protect 
us  through  this  wilderness  of  doubt  and  fear,  as 
Thou  hast  done  heretofore,  and  be  with  us  in  the 


266  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

hour  of  danger  and  difficulty  as  all  praise  is  due  to 
Thee  and  not  to  man.  Oh,  do  not  forsake  us, 
Lord,  but  be  with  us  and  direct  us  through." 

For  nearly  two  weeks  thereafter  the  party 
wandered  about  the  rugged  country,  seeking  a 
way  down  to  the  coast ;  and  more  than  once  they 
found  it  necessary  to  turn  back  over  hard-won 
miles  because  of  some  impassable  barrier.  Dur- 
ing this  time  they  were  forced  to  kill  their  "  last 
dog "  for  food,  as  they  were  ''  entirely  out  of 
provisions  with  the  exception  of  a  few  pounds  of 
flour  and  rice." 

Finally  on  June  8th  they  managed  to  reach  the 
ocean  near  the  mouth  of  the  Klamath  River,  and 
camped  on  the  beach.  Henceforth  they  kept  to 
the  coast,  sometimes  riding  at  the  very  lip  of  the 
surf,  sometimes  swinging  a  mile  or  so  inland. 
Now  and  then  the  deep  and  yawning  mouth  of  a 
stream  made  it  necessary  to  build  rafts.  Game 
was  somewhat  more  plentiful  now;  and  various 
articles  of  food,  such  as  camas  root,  clams,  dried 
fish  and  berries,  were  bought  with  beads  from  the 
Indians,  who  generally  displayed  rather  more  fear 
than  friendliness,  and  sometimes  risked  a  sneaking 
hostility.  On  the  23rd  of  June  the  party  crossed 
the  42nd  parallel,  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
Mexican  country. 

Under  date  of  July  2nd  Rogers  tells  us  that 
"  as  the  most  of  the  men's  times  expired  this  eve- 
ning,  Captain  Smith  called  all  hands  and  gave 


Smith's  Second  Journey  267 

them  up  their  articles,  and  engaged  the  following 
men  to  go  on  with  him  until  he  reaches  the  place 
of  deposit,  viz :  John  Gaiter,  Arthur  Black,  John 
Hanna,  Emanuel  Lazarus,  Abraham  La  Plant, 
Charles  Swift,  Thomas  Daws,  Toussaint  Mari- 
shall.  Daws'  time  to  commence  when  he  gets 
well  enough  for  duty.  Also  Peter  Ranne  and 
Joseph  Palmer,  at  the  above  named  price,  one  dol- 
lar per  day,  and  Martin  McCoy  two  hundred 
dollars  from  the  time  he  left  the  Spanish  country 
until  he  reaches  the  deposit/' 

On  the  4th  of  July,  so  Rogers  tells  us,  "  Mari- 
shall  caught  a  boy  about  ten  years  old  and  brought 
him  to  camp.  I  gave  him  some  beads  and  dried 
meat.     He  appears  well  satisfied." 

Still  pushing  northward  along  the  coast,  on 
July  nth  the  party  reached  the  Umpqua  River, 
and  camped  near  a  village  of  Umpqua  Indians, 
who  seemed  altogether  friendly.  The  last  two 
entries  made  by  Rogers  in  his  diary  run  as  follows : 

"  Saturday,  July  12th.  We  commenced  cross- 
ing the  river  early  and  had  our  goods  and  horses 
over  by  eight  o'clock,  then  packed  up  and  started 
a  northeast  course  up  the  river  and  travelled  three 
miles  and  encamped.  Had  several  Indians  along. 
One  of  the  Indians  stole  an  ax  and  we  were 
obliged  to  seize  him  for  the  purpose  of  tying  him 
before  we  could  scare  him  to  make  him  give  it  up. 
Captain  Smith  and  one  of  them  caught  him  and 
put  a  cord  around  his  neck,  and  the  rest  of  us 


268  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

stood  with  our  guns  ready  in  case  they  made  any 
resistance.  There  were  about  fifty  Indians  pres- 
ent, but  they  did  not  pretend  to  resist  tying  the 
other.  The  river  at  this  place  is  about  three 
hundred  yards  wide  and  makes  a  large  bay  that 
extends  four  or  five  miles  up  in  the  pine  hills.  .  .  . 
We  traded  some  land  and  sea  otter  and  beaver  fur 
in  the  course  of  the  day.  Those  Indians  bring 
Pacific  raspberries  and  other  berries. 

"  Sunday,  July  13th,  1828.  We  made  a  pretty 
good  start  this  morning,  directing  our  course 
along  the  bay  east,  and  travelled  four  miles  and 
encamped.  Fifty  or  sixty  Indians  in  camp  again 
today.  We  traded  fifteen  or  twenty  beaver  skins 
from  them,  some  elk  meat  and  tallow,  also  some 
lamprey  eels.  The  travelling  quite  miry  in 
places.  We  got  a  number  of  our  pack-horses 
mired,  and  had  to  bridge  several  places.  A  con- 
siderable thunder  shower  this  morning,  and  rain 
at  intervals  through  the  day.  Those  Indians  tell 
us  after  we  get  up  the  river  fifteen  or  twenty  miles 
we  will  have  good  travelling  to  the  Wei  Hamett 
or  Multinomah,  where  the  Callipoo  Indians  live." 

While  writing  these  words  —  the  last  he  would 
ever  write  —  Rogers  must  have  felt  that  his 
earnest  prayers  had  been  answered.  The  *'  Wei 
Hamett  or  Multinomah  "  was  the  Willamette 
River.  A  day  or  two  of  easy  travel,  and  they 
would  be  in  the  valley  of  that  stream  with  a  good 
trail  leading  northward  down  to  the  Columbia 


Smithes  Second  Journey  269 

and  the  great  post  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
Fort  Vancouver.  Both  by  trapping  and  through 
trade  with  the  natives  they  had,  in  spite  of  their 
hardships,  accumulated  a  large  amount  of  beaver 
fur  during  their  long  northward  journey  through 
a  virgin  wilderness;  and  though  they  were  still 
far  from  their  comrades  under  Sublette  and  Jack- 
son, the  unknown  country  had  been  passed,  and 
henceforth  they  would  travel  by  river  valleys  all 
the  way  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Snake,  where 
the  main  body  would  be  waiting.  Doubtless  it 
was  a  merry  company  that  camped  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Umpqua  that  night  of  July  13th, 
1828. 

Early  the  next  morning,  Smith,  as  had  been  his 
habit,  started  afoot  up  the  river  to  find  a  good 
trail  for  his  party,  "  the  country  being  very 
swampy  in  the  lowlands  and  woody  in  the  moun- 
tains." One  account  states  that  he  went  alone; 
another,  that  he  went  with  '^  a  little  Englishman  " 
and  an  Indian;  a  third,  that  he  was  accompanied 
by  two  of  his  party  and  one  Umpqua.  Strict  or- 
ders were  given  that  no  Indians  should  be  admitted 
to  the  camp  during  his  absence;  but  scarcely  had 
he  disappeared  up  river  when  the  order  was  dis- 
obeyed. The  penalty  for  disobedience  was  swift 
and  terrible. 

On  July  1 2th,  it  will  be  remembered.  Smith  had 
dealt  rather  roughly  with  the  Indian  who  had 
stolen  an  ax.     This  man,  who  happened  to  be  a 


270  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

chief,  now  seized  the  opportunity  to  avenge  his 
wounded  dignity.  At  a  signal  from  him  the  In- 
dians, outnumbering  the  little  band  three  to  one, 
attacked  the  unsuspecting  trappers.  Effective  re- 
sistance was  out  of  the  question.  Fifteen  of  the 
white  men  went  down  at  once  under  the  knives  of 
the  Indians.  Only  two  of  those  in  camp  escaped 
—  Black  and  Turner.  At  the  moment  when  the 
signal  for  attack  was  given.  Black,  who  seems  to 
have  been  out  of  the  crowd,  had  just  cleaned  and 
loaded  his  gun.  Three  Indians  leaped  upon  him, 
but  he  succeeded  in  shaking  them  off;  and  seeing 
his  comrades  down  and  fighting  hopelessly,  he 
fired  into  the  mass  of  Indians  and  fled  into  the 
heavily  wood  country  to  the  north.  Turner,  a 
very  large  and  powerful  man,  was  serving  as  cook 
that  day.  Having  no  weapon  within  reach  when 
the  savages  fell  upon  him,  he  snatched  a  burning 
stick  from  the  fire,  knocked  down  four  of  his  as- 
sailants, and  rah' up  stream  in  the  direction  taken 
by  Smith,  whom  he  met  returning  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  camp.  Turner  was  under  the  im- 
pression that  he  was  the  sole  survivor  of  the 
camp;  and,  realizing  the  impossibility  of  coping 
with  their  numerous  enemies,  these  fled  together 
up  the  Umpqua  and  across  the  divide  to  the 
Willamette.  Black,  in  the  meanwhile,  was  fol- 
lowing the  coast  northward,  convinced  that  he 
alone  had  escaped. 

In  his  Autobiography,  Dr.  McLoughlin,  factor 
of  Fort  Vancouver  on  the  Columbia,  gives  the  fol- 


Smithes  Second  Journey  271 

lowing  account  of  the  affair  ^ :  "  One  night  in 
August,  1828,  I  was  surprised  by  the  Indians 
making  a  great  noise  at  the  gate  of  the  fort,  say- 
ing that  they  had  brought  an  American.  The 
gate  was  opened,  the  man  (Black)  came  in,  but 
was  so  affected  he  could  not  speak.  After  sitting 
down  some  minutes  to  recover  himself,  he  told 
us  he  was,  he  thought,  the  only  survivor  of  eight- 
een men  conducted  by  Jedediah  Smith.  All  the 
rest,  he  thought,  were  murdered.  .  .  .  Broken 
down  by  hunger  and  misery,  as  he  had  no  food  but 
a  few  wild  berries  which  he  found  on  the  beach, 
he  determined  to  give  himself  up  to  the  Killimour, 
a  tribe  on  the  coast  of  Cape  Lookout,  who  treated 
him  with  great  humanity,  relieved  his  wants  and 
brought  him  to  the  fort,  for  which,  in  case  whites 
might  again  fall  in  their  power,  and  to  induce 
them  to  act  kindly  to  them,  I  rewarded  them  most 
liberally.  But  as  Smith  and  his  two  men  might 
have  escaped,  and,  if  we  made  no  search  for 
them,  die  at  daybreak  the  next  morning,  I  sent 
Indian  runners  with  tobacco  to  the  Willamette 
chiefs  to  tell  them  to  send  their  people  in  search 
of  Smith  and  his  two  men,  and  if  they  found  them, 
to  bring  them  to  the  fort  and  I  would  pay  them, 
and  telling  them  if  any  Indians  hurt  these  men  we 
would  punish  them,  and  immediately  equipped  a 
strong  party  of  forty  well-armed  men.  But  as 
the  men  were  embarking,  to  our  great  joy  Smith 
and  his  two  men  arrived. 
1  Clarke.    "Pioneer  Days  of  Oregon  History." 


272  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

"  I  then  arranged  as  strong  a  party  as  I  could 
make  to  recover  all  we  could  of  Smith's  property. 
I  divulged  my  plan  to  none,  but  gave  written  in- 
structions to  the  officer,  to  be  opened  early  when 
he  got  to  the  Umpqua,  because  if  known  before 
they  got  there,  the  officers  would  talk  of  it  among 
themselves,  the  men  would  hear  it  and  from  them 
it  would  go  to  their  Indian  wives,  who  were  spies 
on  us,  and  my  plan  would  be  defeated.  The  plan 
was  that  the  officer  was,  as  usual,  to  invite  the 
Indians  to  bring  their  furs  to  trade,  just  as  if  noth- 
ing had  happened.  Count  the  furs,  but  as  the 
American  trappers  mark  all  their  skins,  keep  these 
all  separate,  give  them  to  Mr.  Smith  and  not  pay 
the  Indians  for  them,  telling  them  that  they  be- 
longed to  him,  that  they  got  them  by  murdering 
Smith's  people." 

As  a  result  of  this  expedition  sent  out,  "  from 
a  principle  of  Christian  duty,"  by  Dr.  McLough- 
lin.  Smith  recovered  most  of  his  peltry,  which  he 
sold  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  receiving  there- 
for a  draft  on  London  for  $20,000.  Some  of  the 
horses  of  the  ill-fated  party  were  also  returned, 
together  with  a  few  articles  of  personal  property, 
among  which  was  the  diary  of  Harrison  G.  Rogers 
which  we  have  been  quoting. 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  magnanimity  of  Dr. 
McLoughlin,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  firm 
of  Smith,  Jackson  and  Sublette  was  then  coming 
to  be  regarded  as  a  somewhat  dangerous  com- 


Smithes  Second  Journey  273 

petitor;  and  considering  the  manner  In  which  the 
Americans  had  relieved  Ogden  of  a  fortune  In 
furs  during  the  spring  of  1825,  a  lesser  man  than 
McLoughlin  might  have  seized  this  opportunity 
to  enjoy  the  discomfiture  of  his  rivals. 

In  his  "  Pioneer  Days  of  Oregon  History/'  S. 
A.  Clarke,  who  knew  McLoughlin,  has  left  us  the 
following  tribute  to  this  fine  old  gentleman: 
"  Over  six  feet  in  height,  powerfully  made,  with 
a  grand  head  on  massive  shoulders  and  long  snow- 
white  locks  covering  them,  he  was  a  splendid 
picture  of  a  man.  The  Indians  knew  him  as  the 
White  Eagle,  and  they  respected  him  as  they  never 
did  anyone  else.  .  .  .  He  was  a  convert  to  Ca- 
tholicism, and  in  no  sense  was  he  a  bigot  or  lack- 
ing in  the  Christian  charity  that  recognizes  true 
effort  with  good  will  wherever  it  is  met.  .  .  . 
His  policy  to  effect  peace  with  the  Indians  was 
potent  for  good.  .  .  .  With  his  grand  manner 
and  majestic  port,  heightened  by  white,  waving 
hair,  he  was  the  embodiment  of  power  and  jus- 
tice. .  .  .  He  was  indeed,  as  he  was  styled,  '  the 
Czar  of  the  West.'  His  rule  was  Imperial  for  a 
thousand  miles,  and  his  mere  word  was  law.  Yet 
there  was  a  genuine  beneficence  in  his  nature  that 
overcame  the  pride  of  life  and  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  and  made  him  the  special  providence  to 
open  the  Canaan  of  the  Occident  to  the  Civiliza- 
tion of  the  East." 


XXI 

THE   END  OF  THE  TRAIL 

DURING  the  absence  of  Jededlah  Smith, 
the  main  body  of  trappers  under  Sublette 
and  Jackson  had  been  working  in  the  upper  Snake 
River  country,  and  in  the  fall  of  1828  they  re- 
turned to  Great  Salt  Lake  for  the  winter. 
Shortly  afterward,  Sublette  started  for  St.  Louis 
with  the  furs,  travelling  by  way  of  South  Pass 
and  the  Platte.  He  reached  his  destination 
about  the  middle  of  December,  1828,  and  in 
March,  1829,  began  the  return  journey  to  the 
mountains  with  sixty  men  and  a  train  of  supplies. 
He  ascended  the  North  Platte  to  the  Sweetwater, 
thence  heading  for  the  Popo  Agie,  a  southern 
tributary  of  the  Wind  River,  where  the  summer 
rendezvous  was  to  be  held.  Reaching  the  ap- 
pointed place  about  July  ist,  he  found  there  a 
greater  portion  of  the  band  that  had  wintered  at 
Salt  Lake.  Jackson  had  remained  with  a  small 
party  west  of  the  Great  Divide. 

According  to  Joseph  Meek,  who  made  his  first 
trip  to  the  mountains  that  year,  the  rendezvous 
lasted  until  about  the  first  of  August.  "  In  this 
period,'*  says  Meek,  "  the  men,  Indian  allies,  and 

274 


The  End  of  the  Trail  275. 

other  Indian  parties  who  usually  visited  the  camp 
at  this  time,  were  all  supplied  with  goods.  The 
remaining  merchandise  was  adjusted  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  different  traders  who  should  be 
sent  out  through  all  the  country  traversed  by  the 
company.  Sublette  then  decided  upon  their 
routes,  dividing  up  his  forces  Into  camps,  which 
took  each  its  appointed  course,  detaching,  as  it 
went,  small  parties  of  trappers  to  all  the  hunting 
grounds  In  the  neighborhood."  ^ 

Sublette  himself  now  set  forth  to  find  Smith, 
who  had  agreed  to  meet  him  on  the  upper  waters 
of  the  Snake  River.  He  pushed  up  the  Wind 
River,  crossed  the  mountains  and  entered  the 
valley  now  called  Jackson's  Hole,  after  the  part- 
ner whom  he  found  encamped  there.  For  some 
time  Sublette  and  Jackson  waited  at  this  point 
for  Jededlah  Smith.  Finally  growing  uneasy, 
Sublette  sent  small  parties  out  In  various  direc- 
tions to  search  for  the  missing  partner.  One  of 
these  bands  wandered  into  Pierre's  Hole,  "  an 
emerald  cup  set  In  its  rim  of  amethystine  moun- 
tains," and  there,  with  but  four  men  —  one  of 
whom  was  Arthur  Black  —  Smith  was  found  trap- 
ping along  the  streams  of  the  beautiful  valley. 
He  had  spent  the  winter  of  1828-29  at  Fort  Van- 
couver as  the  guest  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Mc- 
Loughlin;  and  in  March  he  had  resumed  his  jour- 
ney toward  the  place  of  rendezvous,   ascending 

1  victor,  op.  cit. 


276  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

the  Columbia  to  a  point  near  the  big  bend,  thence 
striking  out  north  and  east  to  Flathead  House, 
from  whence,  turning  southward  along  the  route 
he  had  followed  with  Ogden  in  the  winter  of 
1824-25,  he  had  reached  Pierre's  Hole. 

We  are  told  that  there  was  great  rejoicing  over 
the  finding  of  Smith;  and  well  might  this  be, 
though  it  is  doubtful  if  the  importance  of  what 
this  man  had  accomplished  was  thoroughly  under- 
stood by  his  comrades.  His  had  been  the  1  fijst 
'  overland  party  of  Am£rkans,  to  reach  C ali f ornia T 
he  hadlbeen  th(?/fi£|t  white  njan  to  travel  the  cen- 
tral  route  from  SalTLake  to  the  Pacific,  and  the 
.s,§rst  to~tra'verse  the  full  length  of  California  and 
'  Olregon  by  land^  Of  the  thirty-two  men  who  had 
shared  in  his  adventures,  twenty  five  had  been 
slain  by  the  Mohaves  and  the  Umpquas.  During 
three  years  of  wandering  west  of  the  Rockies,  he 
had  covered  fourteen  degrees  of  latitude  and 
eleven  degrees  of  longitude.  It  was  one  of  the 
greatest  of  Western  explorers  that  Sublette's  men 
found  trapping  in  Pierre's  Hole  that  summer  of 
1829  —  and  he  was  then  but  thirty  one  years  old! 

During  his  sojourn  with  Dr.  McLoughlin  at 
Fort  Vancouver,  Smith,  by  way  of  showing  grati- 
tude for  the  generosity  of  his  host,  had  agreed 
that  the  firm  of  which  he  was  a  member  should 
henceforth  confine  its  operations  to  the  country 
east  of  the  Great  Divide.  Accordingly,  after 
spending  the  balance  of  the  summer  in  Pierre's 


The  End  of  the  Trail  277 

Hole,  the  three  partners  crossed  over  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Madison  Fork  of  the  Missouri. 
During  the  fall  and  early  winter  of  1829,  the 
various  parties  of  the  firm  worked  the  country 
lying  between  the  sources  of  the  Missouri  and 
Yellowstone,  finally  going  into  winter  quarters 
on  the  Wind  River.  While  the  camp  was  cele- 
brating Christmas,  William  L.  Sublette  and  Black 
Harris,  with  a  few  dogs  to  carry  their  blankets 
and  supplies,  started  on  snow-shoes  for  St.  Louis. 
Sublette  took  with  him  a  letter  from  Jed  Smith 
to  his  brother,  Ralph,  of  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  urging 
the  latter  to  come  west. 

Shortly  after  the  departure  of  Sublette  and 
Harris,  the  party  on  the  Wind  River,  finding  the 
pasturage  there  insufficient  for  the  horses,  moved 
to  the  Powder  River.  After  much  wandering 
and  many  stirring  adventures  during  the  spring 
and  early  summer  of  1830,  the  party  moved  back 
to  the  valley  of  the  Wind  River,  where  the  ren- 
dezvous of  that  year  was  to  be  held. 

On  the  loth  of  July,  Sublette  arrived  with 
eighty-one  men  mounted  on  mules,  ten  loaded 
wagons  drawn  by  five-mule  teams,  two  dearborn 
buggies,  a  milch  cow,  and  twelve  head  of  steers  — 
the  latter  having  been  driven  along  as  an  insur- 
ance against  famine  until  the  buffalo  country 
should  be  reached.  The  wagons  and  buggies 
brought  out  by  Sublette  that  year  were  the  first 
to  trundle  up  the  great  natural  road  soon  to  be 


278  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 


K 

1 


known    as    the    Oregon    and    California    Trail. 

The  Wind  River  rendezvous  of  1830  was  the 

ast  ever  held  by  the  firm  of  Smith,  Jackson  and 

/Sublette;  for  in  the  first  week  of  August  the  busi- 
ness was  sold  to  a  new  firm,  called  The  Rocky 
Mountain    Fur     Company,     and    composed    of 

1  Thomas    Fitzpatrick,    Milton    G.    Sublette     (a 

Ibrother  of  William  L.),  Henry  Fraeb,  Jean  Bap- 

/tiste  Gervais,  and  James  Bridger. 

Immediately  after  the  sale,  Smith,  Jackson  and 
Sublette  began  the  journey  to  St.  Louis,  with  one 
hundred  ninety  packs  of  beaver,  worth  about 
$80,000.  Reaching  the  city  in  October,  1830, 
Jed  found  his  two  brothers,  Austin  and  Peter, 
awaiting  his  arrival,  Ralph  having  been  unable 
to  leave  home. 

At  that  time  the  golden  era  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain fur  trade  was  nearing  its  end,  and  more 
and  more  the  adventurous  spirits  of  the  frontier 
were  becoming  interested  in  the  overland  traflic 
with  Taos  and  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico.  Until 
the  beginning  of  the  19th  century.  New  Mexico 
had  received  all  its  imported  goods  from  Vera 
Cruz  over  a  long  and  difficult  trail;  but  early  in 
the  century  American  merchants  had  begun  to  real- 
ize the  fact  that  goods  could  be  transported  more 
cheaply  to  New  Mexico  by  way  of  the  Missouri 
River  and  the  Great  Plains  than  from  any  Mexi- 
can port.  In  1804  one  Morrison,  a  merchant  of 
the  old  French  town  of  Kaskaskia,  succeeded  in 


The  End  of  the  Trail  279 

sending  a  pack-train  of  merchandise  to  Santa  Fe, 
but  lost  the  profits  of  his  venture  through  the  dis- 
honesty of  his  agent.  Other  merchants  followed 
the  example  of  Morrison,  but  none  attained  any 
conspicuous  success  during  the  next  seventeen 
years. 

Josiah  Gregg,  the  principal  authority  on  this 
unique  phase  of  westward  expansion,  tells  us  that 
the  Santa  Fe  trade  may  be  dated  from  the  year 
1 82 1  when  "  Captain  William  Becknell  of  Mis- 
souri, with  four  trusty  companions,  went  out  to 
Santa  Fe  by  the  far  western  prairie  route."  ^ 
This  band  started  from  Franklin,  a  town  on  the 
Missouri  River  two  hundred  miles  above  its 
mouth.  "  Notwithstanding  the  trifling  amount  of 
merchandise  they  were  possessed  of,"  says  Gregg, 
**  they  realized  a  handsome  profit  " ;  and  there- 
after the  trade  with  Santa  Fe  increased  rapidly. 
In  1822  the  value  of  merchandise  transported 
westward  across  the  prairies  and  the  deserts  was 
$15,000;  in  1824,  $35,000;  in  1825,  $65,000;  in 
1827,  $90,000;  in  1828,  $150,000;  in  1831, 
$250,000!  Up  to  the  year  1823,  pack-animals 
alone  were  used.  In  1824,  wagons  were  em- 
ployed for  the  first  time;  and  after  1826  all  traf- 
fic was  by  wagon. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  when  Jedediah 
Smith  first  landed  in  St.  Louis,  the  great  period 
of  the  fur  trade  was  just  beginning,   and  men 

1  Gregg.     "  Commerce  of  the  Prairies." 


28o  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

talked  of  little  else  than  the  fortunes  that  could 
be  realized  in  that  romantic  industry.  Eight 
years  had  passed  since  that  time,  and  now  the 
Santa  Fe  trade  was  the  talk  of  the  town.  Smith, 
in  company  with  his  brothers,  Peter  and  Austin, 
and  his  partners,  Sublette  and  Jackson,  decided 
to  engage  in  this  new  business. 

On  April  loth,  1831,  the  Smith  party,  con- 
sisting of  eighty  five  men,  started  from  St.  Louis 
with  twenty  two  loaded  wagons  and  a  six-pound 
cannon.  Travelling  up  the  valley  of  the  Missouri 
River,  they  met  Thomas  Fitzpatrick  near  Lexing- 
ton. He  was  returning  to  St.  Louis  from  the 
Yellowstone  country,  but  was  easily  persuaded  to 
accompany  his  old  comrades  to  Santa  Fe. 

Near  the  last  of  April  the  party  reached  the 
town  of  Independence,  which,  though  but  four 
years  old,  had  already  come  to  be  the  point  of 
rendezvous  for  the  Santa  Fe  traders,  as  well  as 
for  the  Rocky  Mountain  trappers.  Formerly  the 
town  of  Franklin,  one  hundred  eighty  seven  miles 
down  stream  had  been  the  point  of  departure; 
but  with  the  founding  of  Independence  in  1827, 
the  latter  place  was  found  to  be  more  convenient, 
being  the  westernmost  settlement  on  the  Missouri, 
a  stream  that  was  navigable  for  at  least  eight 
months  during  the  year  and  offered  a  cheap  and 
easy  means  of  transportation  from  St.  Louis. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1831,  the  wagon  train  of 
Smith,  Jackson  and  Sublette  moved  out  from  In- 


The  End  of  the  Trail  281 

dependence  on  the  road  to  Santa  Fe  with  seven 
hundred  seventy  five  miles  of  prairie  wilderness 
ahead.  The  first  point  of  importance  reached 
after  leaving  the  border  was  Council  Grove,  one 
hundred  fifty  miles  out  —  a  wooded  valley  lying 
along  a  branch  of  the  Neosho  River.  Here  it 
was  customary  for  the  westbound  parties  to  halt 
for  the  purpose  of  electing  oflUcers,  deciding  upon 
the  order  of  march,  agreeing  as  to  the  rules  that 
should  be  obeyed,  and  defining  the  duties  that 
should  be  performed  by  each  member. 

Josiah  Gregg,  who  started  with  a  caravan  for 
Santa  Fe  just  eleven  days  after  the  departure  of 
Smith's  party,,  has  left  us  a  vivid  account  of  the 
organization  and  personnel  of  these  parties: 
"  One  would  have  supposed,"  he  writes,  "  that 
electioneering  and  party  spirit  would  hardly  have 
penetrated  so  far  into  the  wilderness;  but  so  it 
was.  Even  in  our  little  community  we  had  our 
office  seekers  and  their  political  adherents,  as 
earnest  and  devoted  as  any  of  the  modern  school 
of  politicians  in  the  midst  of  civilization."  When 
a  "  Captain  of  the  Caravan  "  had  been  elected, 
the  business  of  organization  began.  "  The  pro- 
prietors were  notified  by  proclamation  to  furnish 
a  list  of  their  men  and  wagons.  The  latter  were 
generally  apportioned  into  four  divisions.  .  .  . 
To  each  of  these  divisions  a  lieutenant  was  ap- 
pointed, whose  duty  it  was  to  inspect  every  ravine 
and  creek  on  the  route,  select  the  best  crossings, 


282  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

and  superintend  what  is  called,  in  prairie  par- 
lance, the  forming  of  the  caravan.  .  .  . 

"  The  wild  and  motley  character  of  the  cara- 
van," continues  Gregg,  "  can  be  but  imperfectly 
conceived  without  an  idea  of  the  costumes  of  the 
various  members.  The  most  fashionable  prairie 
dress  is  the  fustian  frock  of  the  city-bred  mer- 
chant, furnished  with  a  multitude  of  pockets 
capable  of  accommodating  a  variety  of  *  extra 
tackling.'  Then  there  is  the  backwoodsman  with 
his  linsey  or  leather  hunting  shirt  —  the  farmer 
with  blue  jean  coat  —  the  wagoner  with  his  flan- 
nel-sleeve vest  —  besides  an  assortment  of  other 
costumes  which  go  to  fill  up  the  picture. 

"  In  the  article  of  fire-arms  there  is  also  an 
equally  interesting  medley.  The  frontier  hunter 
sticks  to  his  rifle,  as  nothing  could  induce  him  to 
carry  what  he  terms  in  derision  '  the  scatter  gun.' 
The  sportsman  from  the  interior  flourishes  his 
double-barrel  fowling  piece  with  equal  confidence 
in  its  superiority.  The  latter  is  certainly  the 
most  convenient  description  of  gun  that  can  be 
carried  on  the  journey,  as  a  charge  of  buckshot 
in  night  attacks  (which  are  the  most  common) 
will  of  course  be  more  likely  to  do  execution  than 
a  single  rifle-ball  fired  at  random.  ...  A  great 
many  were  furnished  beside  with  a  bountiful  sup- 
ply of  pistols  and  knives  of  every  description. 

"  At  the  Council  Grove  the  laborers  were  em- 
ployed in  procurijig   timber   for   axlertrees   and 


The  End  of  the  Trail  283 

other  wagon  repairs,  of  which  a  supply  is  always 
laid  in  before  leaving  this  region  of  substantial 
growths;  for  henceforward  there  is  no  wood  on 
the  route  fit  for  these  purposes;  not  even  in  the 
mountains  of  Santa  Fe  do  we  meet  with  any 
serviceable  timber.  The  supply  procured  here  is 
generally  lashed  under  the  wagons,  in  which  way 
a  log  is  not  infrequently  carried  to  Santa  Fe,  and 
even  sometimes  back  again."  ^ 

Final  preparations  having  been  made  at  Coun- 
cil Grove,  the  caravan  began  the  journey  In  ear- 
nest. Gregg  tells  us  that  when  the  nature  of  the 
country  would  permit,  it  was  customary  to  march 
in  four  columns,  and  he  remarks  that  a  caravan 
proceeding  in  this  manner  "  presented  a  very  fine 
and  imposing  spectacle.'*  In  making  camp  for 
the  night,  or  In  case  of  attack  by  Indians  during 
the  day,  the  wagons  were  thus  easily  placed  In  the 
most  advantageous  position  for  defence,  the  ex- 
terior columns  swinging  outward  and  then  meet- 
ing, the  two  inner  columns  falling  back  and  wheel- 
ing outward  to  form  a  quadrangle  with  the  first 
two  'columns.  Into  the  corral  thus  formed  the 
animals  were  driven,  thus  rendering  a  stampede 
impossible,  while,  prcftected  by  the  hollow  square 
of  heavily  loaded  wagons,  the  men  were  enabled 
to  render  a  very  good  account  of  themselves  in 
case  of  a  scrimmage. 

The  caravan  of  Smith,  Jackson  and  Sublette 

1 "  Commerce  of  the  Prairies." 


284  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

pushed  forward  rapidly,  reaching  the  Ford  of  the 
Arkansas  River,  three  hundred  ninety  two  miles 
west  of  Independence,  in  about  three  weeks. 
Thus  far  no  considerable  difficulties  had  been  en- 
countered; and  though  they  had  lost  one  man, 
who  had  strayed  away  from  the  main  body  and 
been  killed  by  Pawnees,  they  had  every  reason  to 
be  in  the  best  of  spirits,  for  they  had  now  covered 
slightly  more  than  half  the  distance  to  Santa  Fe. 

However,  they  were  now  about  to  enter  upon 
the  most  difficult  stage  of  the  whole  journey. 
After  crossing  the  Arkansas,  the  route  led  for  a 
distance  of  over  sixty  miles  across  a  region  of 
utter  desolation  to  the  forks  of  the  Cimarron 
River.  "  This  tract  of  country,'*  says  Gregg, 
"  may  truly  be  styled  the  grand  prairie  ocean;  for 
not  a  single  landmark  is  to  be  seen  for  more  than 
forty  miles  —  scarcely  a  visible  eminence  by  which 
to  direct  one's  course.  All  is  as  level  as  the  sea, 
and  the  compass  was  our  surest  as  well  as  our 
principal  guide." 

Before  entering  this  desert,  it  was  customary  to 
lay  in  a  good  supply  of  water.  Smith  and  his 
comrades  seem  to  have  neglected  this  precaution, 
hoping,  doubtless,  to  find  occasional  water  holes; 
but  the  summer  of  1831  was  unusually  dry,  and 
no  water  holes  were  found.  Within  two  days 
after  striking  out  from  the  Arkansas,  the  party 
began  to  experience  the  tortures  of  thirst  and  the 


The  End  of  the  Trail  285 

famished  animals  began  to  die.  Confused  by  a 
maze  of  buffalo  trails  that  led  nowhere,  taunted 
and  misled  by  lying  mirages,  Smith  and  his  com- 
rades struggled  onward. 

We  will  let  Josiah  Gregg  tell  the  rest  of  the 
melancholy  story.  He  had  it  from  a  Mexican 
buffalo  hunter,  who,  in  turn,  had  been  told  by 
the  Comanche  Indians,  themselves  protagonists  in 
the  final  act  of  the  tragedy:  "In  this  perilous 
situation,  Capt.  Smith  resolved  at  last  to  pursue 
one  of  the  seductive  buffalo  paths,  in  hopes  It 
might  lead  to  the  margin  of  some  stream  or  pond. 
He  set  out  alone;  for  besides  the  temerity  which 
desperation  always  inspires,  he  had  ever  been  a 
stranger  to  fear;  indeed  he  was  one  of  the  most 
undaunted  spirits  that  had  ever  traversed  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  .  .  .  But,  alas  I  for  unfor- 
tunate Capt.  Smith !  After  having  so  often 
dodged  the  arrow  and  eluded  the  snare  of  the 
wily  mountain  Indian,  little  could  he  have  thought, 
while  jogging  along  under  a  scorching  sun,  that 
his  bones  were  destined  to  bleach  upon  those  arid 
sands  I  He  had  already  wandered  many  miles 
away  from  his  comrades,  when,  on  turning  over 
an  eminence,  his  eyes  were  joyfully  greeted  with 
the  appearance  of  a  small  stream  meandering 
through  the  valley  that  spread  before  him.  It 
was  the  Cimarron.  He  hurried  forward  to  slake 
the  fire  of  his  parched  lips  —  but  imagine  his  dis- 


286  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

appointment  at  finding  in  the  channel  only  a  bed 
of  dry  sand!  With  his  hands,  however,  he  soon 
scratched  out  a  basin  a  foot  or  two  deep,  into 
which  the  water  slowly  oozed  from  the  saturated 
sand.  While  with  his  head  bent  down,  in  the 
effort  to  quench  his  burning  thirst,  he  was  pierced 
by  the  arrows  of  a  gang  of  Comanches,  who  were 
lying  in  wait  for  him !  Yet  he  struggled  bravely 
to  the  last;  and,  as  the  Indians  themselves  have 
since  related,  killed  two  or  three  of  their  party 
before  he  was  overpowered." 

Thus,  on  the  27th  of  May,  1831,  died  Jedediah 
Strong  Smith  at  the  age  of  thirty  three.  No 
monument  marks  the  spot  where  this  great  West- 
ern explorer  met  his  end.  His  bones  were  picked 
by  the  wolves  and  crows  and  left  to  bleach  in  the 
arid  bed  of  the  Cimarron  until  the  next  freshet 
should  bury  them  in  the  sands. 

At  winter  quarters  on  the  Wind  River  in  De- 
cember, 1829,  Smith  had  written  as  follows  to  his 
brother  Ralph;  and  no  man  who  knew  him 
ever  questioned  his  sincerity:  "  It  is  that  I  may 
be  able  to  help  those  who  stand  in  need  that  I 
face  every  danger.  It  is  for  this  that  I  pass  over 
the  sandy  plains,  in  heat  of  summer,  thirsting  for 
water  where  I  may  cool  my  overheated  body.  It 
is  for  this  that  I  go  for  days  withqut  eating,  and 
am  pretty  well  satisfied  if  I  can  gather  a  few 
roots,  a  few  snails,  or  better  satisfied  if  we  can 
afford  ourselves  a  piece  of  horse-flesh,  or  a  fine 


The  End  of  the  Trail  287 

roasted  dog;  and  most  of  all  it  is  for  this  that  I 
deprive  myself  of  the  privilege  of  society  and  the 
satisfaction  of  the  converse  of  my  friends  I  "  7  ci  j 
Let  his  own  words  be  his  epitaph. 


11 


' 


LIST  OF  SOURCES 

>ale,   H.  C.     The  Ashley-Smith  Explorations  and  the 

Discovery  of  a  Central  Route  to  the  Pacific.     Cleve- 

y     land.     The  Arthur  H.  Clark  Co.     1918. 

v^iChittenden,  H.  M.     The  American  Fur  Trade  of  the 

Far  West.     New  York.     Francis  P.  Harper.     1902. 

3  vols. 

South   Dakota   Historical   Society   Collections.     Vols.    I 

and  HI. 
Flint,  Timothy.     Recollections  of  the  Past  Ten  Years. 

Boston.  1826. 
Hovt^e,    Henry.     Historical    Collections    of    the    Great 

West.     New  York  and  Cincinnati,  1857. 
(Solitaire   (John  S.  Robb).     Major  Fitzpatrick,  Discov- 
erer  of    South    Pass.     St.    Louis  Weekly   Reveille, 
March  ist,  1847. 
.  Smith,  J.  S.     Letter  to  General  Clark,  written  at  "  Lit- 
v^  tie   Lake    of    Bear    River,    July    17th,    1827."     In 

Kansas  Historical  Society  MSS.     Given  in  full  by 
Dale. 
Rogers,    Harrison    G.     Journals   describing   portions   of 
both   journeys    of    Smith    to    California.     Missouri 
Historical  Society   MSS.     Dale  presents  these  for 
the  first  time. 
I  Ashley,  William  H.     Letter  to  General  Atkinson,  written 
V         at   St.   Louis,   Dec.    i,    1825,   describing  the  winter 
journey  from  Fort  Atkinson  to  Green  River  and  the 
descent  of   Green   River.     Missouri   Historical   So- 
ciety MSS.     Given  in  full  by  Dale. 
Smith,  Austin.     Letter  to  his  father,  written  at  "  Walnut 
.  Creek  on  the  Arkansas,  three  hundred  miles  from 

the  settlements  of  Missouri,  Sept.  24,  1831."     Gives 
288 


List  of  Sources  289 

account  of  the  death  of  J.  S.  Smith.     Kansas  His- 
torical Society  MSS. 

Smith,  J.  S.     Letter  to  his  brother,  Ralph,  written  at 
Wind    River,    Dec.    24,    1829.     Kansas    Historical 
1/       Society  MSS. 

Gregg,  Josiah.  The  Commerce  of  the  Prairies.  New 
York,  1845.  Reprinted  in  Thwaites'  Early  West- 
ern Travels,  vols.  XIX  and  XX.     Cleveland,  1905. 

Maximilian,  Prince  of  Wied-Neuwied.     Travels  in  the      v 
Interior  of  North  America.     London,  1843. 

Clarke,  S.  A.  Pioneer  Days  of  Oregon  History.  Port- 
land, 1905.     2  vols.  '*'' 

Richman,   I.   B.     California  under   Spain   and   Mexico,      v 

Boston,  191 1. 
/Bonner,  T.  D.     The  Life  and  Adventures  of  James  P.        *l 
Beckwourth.     New  edition  edited  by  Godfrey  Le- 

/     land.     London,  1892. 
^odge.  Major  General  G.  M.     Biographical  Sketch  of 

James  Bridger.     New  York,  1905. 
^ctor,  F.  F.     The  River  of  the  West.     Hartford,  1870.    y"^ 

Encyclopedia  of  St.  Louis,  1899. 

The  Western  Monthly  Review.  Cincinnati,  1830. 
Vol.  III. 

Laut,  A.   C.     The  Conquest  of  the  Great  Northwest.    ^/ 
New  York,  1908.     2  vols. 

Parker,   Rev.   Samuel.     Journal  of  an  Exploring  Tour 
Beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains.     Ithaca,   1844. 
.  Ruxton,  G.  F.     Life  in  the  Far  West.     Edinburgh,  1887. 

Adventures  in   Mexico.     London,    1847. 

Sage,  R.  B.     Rocky  Mountain  Life.     Boston,  1847. 

Farnham,  T.  J.     Travels  in  the  Great  Western  Prairies.  ^Z 
New  York,  1843. 

Coutant,  C.  G.     History  of  Wyoming.     Laramie,  1899.     V^ 

Wyeth,    J.    B.     Oregon,    etc.     Cambridge,    1833.     Re-      y 
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XXI.     Cleveland,  1905. 


290  The  Splendid  Wayfaring 

Hodge,  F.  W.  Handbook  of  American  Indians.  Wash- 
ington, 1912.     2  vols. 

Ogden,  G.  W.  Letters  from  the  West,  etc.  Reprinted 
in  Thwaites'  Early  Western  Travels,  vol.  XIX. 
Cleveland,  1905. 

Bullock,  W.  A.  Journey  through  the  Western  States, 
etc.  Reprinted  in  Thwaites'  Early  Western  Travels, 
vol.  XIX.     Cleveland,  1905. 

Bryant,  W.     What  I  Saw  in  California.     New  York, 

-  -1849. 
Irving,  Washington.     Astoria. 

Captain  Bonneville. 

fc^Cook,  P.  St.  G.     Scenes  and  Adventures  in  the  U.  S. 
Army.     Philadelphia,  1857. 


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